Novel peptides and combination of peptides for use in immunotherapy against prostate cancer and other cancers

Abstract

To provide peptides, proteins, nucleic acids and cells for use in immunotherapeutic methods.SOLUTION: In particular, the present invention relates to the immunotherapy of cancer. The present invention furthermore relates to tumor-associated T-cell peptide epitopes, alone or in combination with other tumor-associated peptides, which can serve, for example, as active pharmaceutical ingredients of vaccine compositions that stimulate anti-tumor immune responses, or stimulate T cells ex vivo and transfer into patients. Peptides bound to molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), or peptides as such, can also be targets of antibodies, soluble T-cell receptors, and other binding molecules.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to peptides, proteins, nucleic acids and cells for use in immunotherapy.In particular, the present invention relates to the immunotherapy of cancer.The present invention further relates to tumor-associated T-cell peptide epitopes, alone or in combination with other tumor-associated peptides, which can act as active pharmaceutical ingredients of vaccine compositions, for example, to stimulate anti-tumor immune responses or to stimulate T cells ex vivo and transfer to patients.Peptides bound to molecules of major histocompatibility complex (MHC), or peptides themselves, can also be targeted by antibodies, soluble T-cell receptors and other binding molecules.

[0002] The present invention relates to several novel peptide sequences and their variants derived from HLA class I molecules of human tumor cells, which can be used in vaccine compositions to elicit anti-tumor immune responses or as targets for the development of pharmacological / immunologically active compounds and cells. [Background technology]

[0003] Prostate cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer worldwide and the fifth most common cause of cancer death in men, with an estimated 1.1 million new cases (15% of all cancers in men) and 300,000 cancer deaths (7% of all deaths in men) in 2012. During the same period, it was the most common type of cancer in men in 84 countries worldwide, primarily those that have reached high or very high levels of human development, but also in several countries in central and southern Africa. According to the American Cancer Society, there are an estimated 220,800 new cases of prostate cancer and 27,540 deaths from prostate cancer in 2015. Risk factors for prostate cancer are age, family history, and race (World Cancer Report, 2014; SEER Stat facts, 2014; American Cancer Society, 2015).

[0004] Nearly all prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas that arise from the glandular cells of the prostate. Rare forms of prostate cancer include sarcoma, small cell carcinoma, neuroendocrine tumors (except small cell carcinoma), or transitional cell carcinoma (American Cancer Society, 2015).

[0005] Treatment strategies for prostate cancer depend mainly on the stage of the cancer. In locally limited non-metastatic prostate cancer, treatment options include active surveillance (wait and watch), complete surgical removal of the prostate, and local high-dose radiation therapy with or without brachytherapy. In high-risk patients, hormone ablation therapy and postoperative local radiation therapy represent further possibilities. Standard treatment for metastatic prostate cancer also comprises complete surgical removal of the prostate, local high-dose radiation, and hormone ablation therapy. Tumors that do not respond to hormone deprivation are referred to as castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Patients with CRPC are administered docetaxel, abiraterone, and sipuleucel-T, a dendritic cell-based vaccine. Bone metastases are treated with radium-223 alone, or with either radium-223 or docetaxel or abiraterone in combination with bisphosphonates or denosumab (S3-Leitlinie Prostatakarzinom, 2014).

[0006] Sipuleucel-T, a dendritic cell-based vaccine, was the first anticancer vaccine approved by the FDA. Due to its favorable effect on the survival of patients with CRPC, great efforts have been made towards the development of further immunotherapies. Regarding vaccination strategies, the peptide vaccine prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-TRICOM, the personalized peptide vaccine PPV, the DNA vaccine pTVG-HP, and the GM-CSF-expressing whole cell vaccine GVAX have shown promising results in different clinical trials. In addition, dendritic cell-based vaccines other than sipuleucel-T, namely BPX-101 and DCVAC / Pa, have been shown to induce clinical responses in patients with prostate cancer. Immune checkpoint inhibitors such as ipilimumab and nivolumab are currently being evaluated in clinical trials as monotherapy and in combination with other treatments including androgen deprivation therapy, localized radiation therapy, PSA-TRICOM, and GVAX. The immunomodulator tasquinimod, which significantly delayed progression and extended progression-free survival in a phase II trial, is currently being further studied in a phase III trial. Lenalidomide, another immunomodulator, showed promising effects in early clinical trials but failed to improve survival in a phase III trial. Despite these disappointing results, further lenalidomide trials are continuing (Quinn et al., 2015). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Considering the severe side effects and costs associated with cancer treatment, there is a need to identify factors that can be used in the treatment of cancer in general, and prostate cancer in particular. There is also a need to identify factors that represent biomarkers for cancer in general, and prostate cancer in particular, that can lead to better diagnosis of cancer, assessment of prognosis, and prediction of treatment success.

[0008] Cancer immunotherapy represents an option to specifically target cancer cells while minimizing side effects. Cancer immunotherapy exploits the presence of tumor-associated antigens.

[0009] The current classification of tumor-associated antigens (TAA) comprises the following main groups: a) Cancer-Testis Antigens: The first identified TAAs that can be recognized by T cells belong to this class and were originally called cancer-testis (CT) antigens because their members are expressed in histologically distinct human tumors and are present in normal tissues only in spermatocytes / spermatogonia of the testis and occasionally in the placenta. Since cells of the testis do not express class I and II HLA molecules, these antigens cannot be recognized by T cells of normal tissues and are therefore considered immunologically tumor-specific. Well-known examples of CT antigens are the MAGE family members and NY-ESO-1. b) Differentiation antigens: These TAAs are shared between tumors and the normal tissues from which they arise. Most of the known differentiation antigens are found in melanomas and normal melanocytes. Many of these melanocyte-related proteins are involved in melanin biosynthesis and therefore are not tumor-specific, but are nevertheless widely exploited for cancer immunotherapy. Examples include, but are not limited to, tyrosinase and Melan-A / MART-1 for melanoma, or PSA for prostate cancer. c) Overexpressed TAAs: Genes encoding ubiquitously expressed TAAs have been detected in histologically distinct types of tumors and also in many normal tissues, generally at lower expression levels. While many of the epitopes processed and potentially presented by normal tissues may be below the threshold level for T cell recognition, their overexpression in tumor cells may initiate anticancer responses by breaking previously established immune tolerance. Prominent examples of this class of TAAs are Her-2 / neu, survivin, telomerase or WT1. d) Tumor-specific antigens: These unique TAAs arise from mutations in normal genes (β-catenin, CDK4, etc.). Some of these molecular changes are associated with neoplastic transformation and / or progression. Tumor-specific antigens can usually induce a strong immune response without the risk of an autoimmune reaction against normal tissues. On the other hand, these TAAs are most often associated only with the very tumor on which they were identified and are usually not shared between many individual tumors. In proteins with tumor-specific (associated) isoforms, tumor specificity (or association) of peptides may also arise if the peptide is derived from a tumor (associated) exon. e) TAAs resulting from aberrant post-translational modifications: Such TAAs may arise from proteins that are neither specific nor overexpressed in tumors, but nevertheless become tumor-associated by post-translational processes that are primarily active in tumors. Examples of this class arise from events such as altered glycosylation patterns that result in novel epitopes in tumors, such as MUC1, or protein splicing during degradation that may or may not be tumor-specific. f) Oncoviral proteins: These TAAs are viral proteins that may play an important role in the carcinogenic process and, being foreign (non-human), they can induce T cell responses. An example of such a protein is the human papillomavirus type 16 proteins E6 and E7, which are expressed in cervical cancer.

[0010] T cell-based immunotherapy targets tumor-associated or tumor-specific protein-derived peptide epitopes presented by molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). The antigens, i.e., their epitopes, recognized by tumor-specific T lymphocytes can be molecules derived from all protein classes, such as enzymes, receptors, transcription factors, etc., that are expressed in the respective tumor cells and are usually upregulated compared to non-modified cells of the same origin.

[0011] As with all cancer entities that develop from non-vital organs or tissues, prostate-specific antigen may be a good choice for cancer immunotherapy, since it represents a tumor-specific target in prostatectomized patients. Such antigens may also be of interest in non-prostatectomized cancer patients, since the prostate is not considered a vital organ, and in melanoma, a similar approach has been adopted with melanocyte differentiation antigens. There are several examples showing that prostate-specific antigen or high-grade prostate-associated antigen is a safe target, such as sipuleucel-T (Provenge) from Dendreon, which comprises prostatic acid phosphatase used as a tumor antigen (Westdorp et al., 2014). This antigen is not exclusively expressed in the prostate, but is overexpressed at levels 1-2 orders of magnitude higher in prostate versus other tissues (Graddis et al., 2011).

[0012] There are two classes of MHC molecules: MHC class I and MHC class II. MHC class I molecules are composed of α heavy chains and β2 microglobulin, while MHC class II molecules are composed of α and β chains. Their three-dimensional structure provides a binding groove, which is used for non-covalent interactions with peptides.

[0013] MHC class I molecules are found on most nucleated cells. They present peptides that are mainly derived from endogenous proteins, defective ribosomal products (DRIPs), and proteolytic cleavage of larger peptides. However, peptides derived from endosomal compartments or exogenous sources are also frequently found on MHC class I molecules. This non-classical mode of class I presentation is referred to as cross-presentation in the literature (Brossart and Bevan, 1997; Rock et al., 1990). MHC class II molecules are found mostly on professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and mainly present peptides of exogenous or transmembrane proteins that are taken up by APCs during endocytosis and subsequently processed, for example.

[0014] Complexes of peptides and MHC class I molecules are recognized by CD8 positive T cells with the appropriate T cell receptor (TCR), whereas complexes of peptides and MHC class II molecules are recognized by CD4 positive helper T cells with the appropriate TCR. As a result, it is well known that TCR, peptide, and MHC exist in a 1:1:1 stoichiometric ratio.

[0015] CD4+ helper T cells play a key role in inducing and maintaining effective responses by CD8+ cytotoxic T cells. Identification of CD4+ T cell epitopes derived from tumor-associated antigens (TAA) is crucial for the development of drugs that trigger antitumor immune responses (Gnjatic et al., 2003). At the tumor site, T helper cells maintain a cytotoxic T cell (CTL)-friendly cytokine environment (Mortara et al., 2006) and attract effector cells, such as CTLs, natural killer (NK) cells, macrophages, and granulocytes (Hwang et al., 2007).

[0016] In the absence of inflammation, expression of MHC class II molecules is primarily restricted to cells of the immune system, particularly professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs), such as monocytes, monocyte-derived cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, etc. In cancer patients, tumor cells have been found to express MHC class II molecules (Dengjel et al., 2006).

[0017] The extended (longer) peptides of the present invention can act as MHC class II active epitopes. T helper cells activated by MHC class II epitopes play an important role in orchestrating the effector function of CTL in anti-tumor immunity. T helper cell epitopes that initiate TH1-type T helper cell responses support the effector function of CD8 positive killer T cells, including cytotoxicity directed against tumor cells that present tumor-associated peptide / MHC complexes on their cell surface. In this way, tumor-associated T helper cell peptide epitopes, alone or in combination with other tumor-associated peptides, can serve as active pharmaceutical ingredients of vaccine compositions that stimulate anti-tumor immune responses.

[0018] For example, in mammalian models such as mice, CD4+ T cells have been shown to be sufficient to inhibit tumor development through the inhibition of angiogenesis by secreting interferon-γ (IFNγ) even in the absence of CD8+ T lymphocytes (Beatty and Paterson, 2001; Mumberg et al., 1999). There is evidence that CD4+ T cells are direct antitumor effectors (Braumuller et al., 2013; Tran et al., 2014).

[0019] Because constitutive expression of HLA class II molecules is usually restricted to immune cells, it was not previously thought possible to isolate class II peptides directly from primary tumors, but Dengjel et al. successfully identified several MHC class II epitopes directly from tumors (WO 2007 / 028574, EP 1760088 B1).

[0020] Because both types of CD8- and CD4-dependent responses jointly and synergistically contribute to antitumor effects, the identification and characterization of tumor-associated antigens recognized by either CD8+ T cells (ligand: MHC class I molecule + peptide epitope) or CD4-positive T helper cells (ligand: MHC class II molecule + peptide epitope) is important for the development of tumor vaccines.

[0021] For an MHC class I peptide to initiate (elicit) a cellular immune response, it must also bind to an MHC molecule. This process depends on the allele of the MHC molecule and on specific polymorphisms in the amino acid sequence of the peptide. MHC class I binding peptides are usually 8-12 amino acid residues long and usually contain two conserved residues ("anchors") in their sequence that interact with the corresponding binding groove of the MHC molecule. Thus, each MHC allele has a "binding motif" that determines which peptides can specifically bind to the binding groove.

[0022] In an MHC class I-dependent immune response, not only can peptides bind to specific MHC class I molecules expressed by tumor cells, but they must also subsequently be recognized by T cells bearing specific T cell receptors (TCRs).

[0023] In order for a protein to be recognized as a tumor-specific or tumor-associated antigen by T lymphocytes and to be utilized in therapy, certain requirements must be met. The antigen should be expressed mainly by tumor cells and not expressed or expressed in relatively small amounts by healthy tissues. In a preferred embodiment, the peptide should be over-presented by tumor cells compared to healthy tissues. It is further desirable that the respective antigen is not only present in certain tumors, but also present in high concentration (i.e. copy number per cell of the respective peptide). Tumor-specific and tumor-associated antigens are often derived from proteins that are directly involved in the transformation of normal cells into tumor cells, for example, due to their function in cell cycle regulation or apoptosis suppression. Furthermore, downstream targets of the proteins directly responsible for transformation may be upregulated and therefore indirectly tumor-associated. Such indirect tumor-associated antigens may also be targets for vaccination approaches (Singh-Jasuja et al., 2004). To ensure that such peptides ("immunogenic peptides") are derived from tumor-associated antigens and elicit in vitro or in vivo T cell responses, the presence of an epitope within the amino acid sequence of the antigen is essential.

[0024] Essentially, any peptide capable of binding to an MHC molecule may serve as a T cell epitope. A prerequisite for the induction of an in vitro or in vivo T cell response is the presence of T cells bearing the corresponding TCR and the absence of immune tolerance to this particular epitope.

[0025] Therefore, TAAs are the starting point for the development of T cell-based therapeutics, including but not limited to tumor vaccines. Methods for identifying and characterizing TAAs are usually based on the use of T cells that can be isolated from patients or healthy individuals, or they are based on the generation of differential transcriptional profiles between tumor and normal tissues, or differential peptide expression patterns. However, the identification of genes that are overexpressed in tumor tissues or human tumor cell lines, or selectively expressed in such tissues or cell lines, does not provide accurate information regarding the use of antigens transcribed from these genes in immunotherapy. This is because only individual subpopulations of epitopes of these antigens are suitable for such applications, because T cells with corresponding TCR must be present, and immune tolerance to this particular epitope must be absent or minimal. Therefore, in a highly preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is important to select only peptides that are over- or selectively presented, for which functional and / or proliferative T cells are found. Such functional T cells are defined as T cells that are capable of clonally expanding upon stimulation with a specific antigen and capable of performing effector functions ("effector T cells").

[0026] When targeting peptide-MHC with a specific TCR (e.g., a soluble TCR) and an antibody or other binding molecule (scaffold) according to the invention, the immunogenicity of the underlying peptide is secondary. In these cases, presentation is the determining factor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0027] In a first aspect of the invention, the invention relates to a peptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48, or a variant thereof that is at least 77%, preferably at least 88% homologous (preferably at least 77% or at least 88% identical) to SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48, wherein said variant binds to MHC and / or induces cross-reactivity of T cells with said peptide or a pharma- ceutically acceptable salt thereof, and wherein said peptide is not the underlying full-length polypeptide.

[0028] The present invention further relates to a peptide of the present invention comprising a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48, or a variant thereof that is at least 77% and preferably at least 88% homologous (preferably at least 77% or at least 88% identical) to SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48, wherein said peptide or variant thereof has an overall length of 8 to 100, preferably 8 to 30, most preferably 8 to 14 amino acids.

[0029] The following tables show the peptides according to the invention, their respective SEQ ID NOs, and the predicted genes of origin of those peptides. All peptides in Tables 1, 3, and 5 are HLA-A * All peptides in Tables 2, 4, and 6 bind to HLA-A * 24. The peptides in Tables 3 and 4 have been previously disclosed in large lists as a result of high throughput screening with high error rates or calculated using algorithms, but have never been associated with cancer before. The peptides in Tables 5 and 6 are additional peptides that may be useful in combination with other peptides of the invention. The peptides in Tables 7 and 8 are further useful in the diagnosis and / or treatment of various other malignancies involving overexpression or overpresentation of the respective underlying polypeptides.

[0030] Table 1: HLA-A according to the present invention * 02 Peptides [Table 1]

[0031] Table 2: HLA-A according to the present invention * 24 Peptides [Table 2]

[0032] Table 3: Additional HLA-As according to the present invention with no previously known cancer association * 02 Peptide. J = phosphoserine [Table 3]

[0033] Table 4: Additional HLA-As according to the present invention with no previously known cancer association * 24 peptides. [Table 4]

[0034] Table 5: HLA-A useful for example in personalized cancer therapy * 02 Peptides [Table 5]

[0035] Table 6: HLA-A useful for example in personalized cancer therapy * 24 Peptides [Table 6]

[0036] Table 7A: Peptides according to the invention and their specific use in other proliferative diseases, especially cancerous diseases. The table shows additional tumor types on which selected peptides were found, either over-represented in more than 5% of measured tumor samples or presented in more than 5% of measured tumor samples with a tumor to normal tissue geometric mean ratio of more than 3. Over-representation is defined as a higher presentation on tumor samples compared to normal samples with maximum presentation. The normal (non-cancerous) tissues for which over-representation was tested were selected from adipose tissue, adrenal gland, artery, bone marrow, brain, central nervous system, colon, duodenum, esophagus, eye, gallbladder, heart, kidney, liver, lung, lymph node, mononuclear white blood cells, pancreas, parathyroid gland, peripheral nerve, peritoneum, pituitary gland, pleura, rectum, salivary gland, skeletal muscle, skin, small intestine, spleen, stomach, thyroid gland, trachea, ureter, bladder, and vein. [Table 7] NSCLC = non-small cell lung cancer, SCLC = small cell lung cancer, RCC = kidney cancer, CRC = colon or rectal cancer, HCC = liver cancer, PC = pancreatic cancer, BRCA = breast cancer, MCC = Merkel cell carcinoma, OC = ovarian cancer, AML = acute myeloid leukemia, CLL = chronic lymphocytic leukemia, GC = gastric cancer; J = phophoserine

[0037] The present invention further relates generally to peptides according to the invention for use in the treatment of proliferative diseases such as, for example, lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, melanoma, liver cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, gallbladder cancer, bile duct cancer, CRC, bladder cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, kidney cancer, leukemia (e.g., AML or CLL), ovarian cancer, esophageal cancer, brain cancer, and gastric (stomach) cancer.

[0038] Particularly preferred are peptides according to the invention, alone or in combination, selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 48. More preferred are peptides, alone or in combination, selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 6 (see Table 1) and SEQ ID NO: 24 to SEQ ID NO: 28 (see Table 2) or SEQ ID NO: 1, 4, 5, 6, 49, and 52 or SEQ ID NO: 2, 3, and 54 and their use in the immunotherapy of lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, melanoma, liver cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, gallbladder cancer, bile duct cancer, CRC, bladder cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, kidney cancer, leukemia (e.g. AML or CLL), ovarian cancer, esophageal cancer, brain cancer, and gastric (stomach) cancer, most preferably prostate cancer. As shown in Table 7 above, many of the peptides according to the invention are also found on other tumor types and therefore may also be used in immunotherapy for other indications. See also FIG. 1 and Example 1.

[0039] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates in a preferred embodiment to the use of at least one peptide according to the invention according to any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1, 12 and 20 for combination therapy of non-small cell lung cancer.

[0040] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates in a preferred embodiment to the use of at least one peptide according to the invention according to any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1, 2, 5, 8 and 19 for the combination therapy of melanoma.

[0041] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates, in a preferred embodiment, to the use of at least one peptide according to the present invention as set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 2, 6, 10, 17, 20, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 33, 34, 36, 38, 42, 44, 45, 47 and 48 for combination therapy of liver cancer.

[0042] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates in a preferred embodiment to the use of at least one peptide according to the invention according to any one of SEQ ID NOs: 2, 8, 17 and 20 for the combination therapy of breast cancer.

[0043] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates in a preferred embodiment to the use of at least one peptide according to the invention according to any one of SEQ ID NOs: 2, 3, 7, 8, 17 and 20 for the combination therapy of uterine cancer.

[0044] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates to the use of at least one peptide according to the invention as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 3 for the treatment of MCC.

[0045] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates in a preferred embodiment to the use of at least one of the peptides according to the invention according to any one of SEQ ID NOs: 6 and 12 for the combination therapy of PC.

[0046] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention, in a preferred embodiment, relates to the use of at least one peptide according to the present invention as set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 7, 10 and 12 for the combined therapy of gallbladder cancer and / or bile duct cancer.

[0047] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates in a preferred embodiment to the use of at least one peptide according to the invention according to any one of SEQ ID NOs: 8, 10 and 20 for combination therapy of CRC.

[0048] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates in a preferred embodiment to the use of at least one of the peptides according to the invention according to any one of SEQ ID NOs: 10 and 22 for the combination therapy of leukemia.

[0049] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates to the use of at least one peptide according to the invention as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 10 for the treatment of OC.

[0050] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates in a preferred embodiment to the use of at least one peptide according to the invention according to any one of SEQ ID NOs: 10 and 20 for the combination therapy of esophageal cancer.

[0051] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates to the use of at least one peptide according to the invention according to SEQ ID NO: 10 for the treatment of CLL.

[0052] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates in a preferred embodiment to the use of at least one of the peptides according to the invention according to any one of SEQ ID NOs: 6 and 12 for the combination therapy of PC.

[0053] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates in a preferred embodiment to the use of at least one peptide according to the present invention according to any one of SEQ ID NOs: 10, 28, 29, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 41, 42, 44 and 48 for combination therapy of NSCLC.

[0054] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates in a preferred embodiment to the use of at least one peptide according to the invention as set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 10, 34, 37, 41 and 48 for combination therapy of RCC.

[0055] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates in a preferred embodiment to the use of at least one peptide according to the present invention as set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 13, 17, 18, 19, 22, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 41, 42, 43, 44 and 48 for combination therapy of brain cancer.

[0056] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates to the use of at least one peptide according to the invention according to SEQ ID NO: 22 for the treatment of AML.

[0057] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates in a preferred embodiment to the use of at least one peptide according to the invention according to any one of SEQ ID NOs: 29, 31, 35, 38 and 42 for combination therapy of GC.

[0058] Therefore, another aspect of the present invention relates to the use of a peptide according to the present invention for the combination therapy of a proliferative disease, preferably selected from the group of lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, melanoma, liver cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, gallbladder cancer, bile duct cancer, CRC, bladder cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, kidney cancer, leukemia (e.g. AML or CLL), ovarian cancer, esophageal cancer, brain cancer, and gastric (stomach) cancer, most preferably prostate cancer.

[0059] The present invention further relates to peptides according to the invention which have the ability to bind to molecules of the human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I or, in extended forms such as length variants, have the ability to bind to MHC class II.

[0060] The present invention further relates to a peptide according to the invention, said peptide consisting or consisting essentially of the amino acid sequence set out in SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 48 (respectively).

[0061] The present invention further relates to a peptide according to the invention, said peptide being modified and / or comprising a non-peptide bond.

[0062] The present invention further relates to a peptide according to the invention, said peptide being part of a fusion protein, in particular fused to the N-terminal amino acid of the HLA-DR antigen-associated invariant chain (Ii) or fused to an antibody (or in the sequence thereof), e.g. an antibody specific for dendritic cells.

[0063] Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a non-naturally occurring peptide, the peptide consisting of or consisting essentially of the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48, synthetically produced (e.g., synthesized) as a pharma- ceutically acceptable salt. Methods for synthetically producing peptides are well known in the art. Since peptides produced in vivo are not salts, the salts of the peptides according to the present invention are substantially different from the in vivo state of the peptide. The non-naturally occurring salt form of the peptide mediates the solubility of the peptide, especially in the context of pharmaceutical compositions comprising the peptide, such as the peptide vaccines disclosed herein. Sufficient, at least substantial, solubility of the peptide is necessary to efficiently provide the peptide to the subject being treated. Preferably, the salt is a pharma- ceutically acceptable salt of the peptide. These salts according to the present invention include salts of the anion PO4 3- , SO4 2- , CH3COO - , Cl - , Br - , NO3 - , ClO4 - , I - , SCN - and cation NH4 + , Rb + , K + , Na + , Cs + , Li + , Zn2 + , Mg2 + , Ca2 + , Mn2 + , Cu2 + , and Ba2 +In particular, the salts include (NH4)3PO4, (NH4)2HPO4, (NH4)H2PO4, (NH4)2SO4, NH4CH3COO, NH4Cl, NH4Br, NH4NO3, NH4CIO4, NH4I, NH4SCN, Rb3PO4, Rb2HPO4, RbH2PO4, Rb2SO4, Rb4CH3COO, Rb4Cl, Rb4Br, Rb4NO3, Rb4CIO4, Rb4I, Rb4SCN, K3PO4, K2HPO4, KH2PO4, K2SO4, KCH3COO, KCl, KBr, KNO3, KClO4, KI, KSCN, Na3PO4, Na2HPO4, NaH2PO4, Na2SO4, NaCH3COO, NaCl, Na Br, NaNO3, NaCIO4, NaI, NaSCN, ZnCI2Cs3PO4, Cs2HPO4, CsH2PO4, Cs2SO4, CsCH3COO, CsCl, CsBr, CsNO3, CsCIO4, Cs I, CsSCN, Li3PO4, Li2HPO4, LiH2PO4, Li2SO4, LiCH3COO, LiCl, LiBr, LiNO3, LiClO4, LiI, LiSCN, Cu2SO4, Mg3(PO4 )2, Mg2HPO4, Mg(H2PO4)2, Mg2SO4, Mg(CH3COO)2, MgCl2, MgBr2, Mg(NO3)2, Mg(ClO4)2, MgI2, Mg(SCN)2, MnCl2, Ca3 (PO4), Ca2HPO4, Ca(H2PO4)2, CaSO4, Ca(CH3COO)2, CaCl2, CaBr2, Ca(NO3)2, Ca(ClO4)2, CaI2, Ca(SCN)2, Ba3(PO4)2, Ba2HPO4, Ba(H2PO4)2, BaSO4, Ba(CH3COO)2, BaCl2, BaBr2, Ba(NO3)2, Ba(ClO4)2, BaI2, and Ba(SCN)2. Particularly preferred are NH acetates, such as chlorides or acetates (trifluoroacetates), MgCl2, KH2PO4, Na2SO4, KCl, NaCl, and CaCl2.

[0064] In general, peptides and variants (at least those containing peptide bonds between amino acid residues) may be synthesized by the Fmoc-polyamide mode of solid-phase peptide synthesis as disclosed by Lukas et al. (Lukas et al., 1981) and the references cited therein. Temporary N-amino group protection is provided by the 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc) group. Repetitive cleavage of this highly base-labile protecting group is carried out using 20% ​​piperidine in N,N-dimethylformamide. Side chain functional groups may be protected as their butyl ethers (for serine, threonine, and tyrosine), butyl esters (for glutamic acid and aspartic acid), butyloxycarbonyl derivatives (for lysine and histidine), trityl derivatives (for cysteine), and 4-methoxy-2,3,6-trimethylbenzenesulfonyl derivatives (for arginine). When glutamine or asparagine is the C-terminal residue, a 4,4'-dimethoxybenzhydryl group is utilized to protect the side chain amide functionality. The solid support is based on a polydimethyl-acrylamide polymer, composed of three monomers: dimethylacrylamide (backbone monomer), bisacryloylethylenediamine (crosslinker), and acryloylsarcosine methyl ester (functionalizer). The peptide-to-resin cleavable coupling agent used is an acid-labile 4-hydroxymethyl-phenoxyacetic acid derivative. All amino acid derivatives are added as their preformed symmetrical anhydride derivatives, except for asparagine and glutamine, which are added using a reverse N,N-dicyclohexyl-carbodiimide / 1-hydroxybenzotriazole mediated coupling procedure. All coupling and deprotection reactions are monitored using ninhydrin, trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid or isatin test procedures. Upon completion of synthesis, the peptide is cleaved from the resin support and the side chain protecting groups are simultaneously removed by treatment with 95% trifluoroacetic acid containing a 50% scavenger mixture.Commonly used scavengers include ethanedithiol, phenol, anisole, and water, with the exact choice depending on the constituent amino acids of the peptide being synthesized. A combination of solid-phase and solution-phase methods for the synthesis of peptides is also possible (see, for example, (Bruckdorfer et al., 2004) and references cited therein).

[0065] Trifluoroacetic acid is removed by evaporation in vacuo, followed by trituration with diethyl ether to give the crude peptide. Any scavengers present are removed by a simple extraction procedure which, upon lyophilization of the aqueous phase, gives the scavenger-free crude peptide. Reagents for peptide synthesis are generally available, for example from Calbiochem-Novabiochem (Nottingham, UK).

[0066] Purification may be achieved by any one or combination of techniques such as recrystallization, size exclusion chromatography, ion exchange chromatography, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, and (usually) reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography using, for example, an acetonitrile / water gradient separation.

[0067] The present invention further relates to a nucleic acid encoding a peptide according to the invention.The present invention further relates to a nucleic acid according to the invention which is DNA, cDNA, PNA, RNA or a combination thereof.

[0068] The present invention further relates to an expression vector capable of expressing and / or which expresses a nucleic acid according to the invention.

[0069] The present invention further relates to a peptide according to the invention, a nucleic acid according to the invention or an expression vector according to the invention for use in disease treatment and medicine, in particular in the treatment of cancer.

[0070] The present invention further relates to antibodies specific for the peptides according to the invention or for complexes of said peptides according to the invention with MHC, and to methods for their production.

[0071] The invention further relates to T cell receptors (TCRs), in particular soluble TCRs (sTCRs) and cloned TCRs incorporated into autologous or allogeneic T cells; methods for producing these; and methods for producing NK cells or other cells bearing or cross-reacting with said TCRs.

[0072] Antibodies and TCRs are further embodiments of immunotherapeutic applications of the peptides according to the invention.

[0073] The present invention further relates to a host cell comprising a nucleic acid or an expression vector according to the invention as described above.The present invention further relates to a host cell according to the invention which is an antigen-presenting cell, preferably a dendritic cell.

[0074] The present invention further relates to a method for producing a peptide according to the invention, comprising the steps of culturing a host cell according to the invention and isolating the peptide from the host cell or its culture medium.

[0075] The present invention further relates to a method according to the invention, in which a sufficient amount of antigen is contacted with an antigen-presenting cell, thereby loading the antigen onto class I or II MHC molecules expressed on the surface of a suitable antigen-presenting cell or artificial antigen-presenting cell.

[0076] The present invention further relates to a method according to the present invention, wherein the antigen-presenting cell comprises an expression vector capable of expressing or expressing said peptides containing SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48, preferably SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:6 (see Table 1) and SEQ ID NO:24 to SEQ ID NO:28 (see Table 2) or a mutant amino acid sequence.

[0077] The present invention further relates to activated T cells produced by the method according to the invention, said T cells selectively recognizing cells expressing a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence according to the invention.

[0078] The present invention further relates to a method of killing target cells in a patient which aberrantly express a polypeptide comprising any amino acid sequence according to the present invention, comprising the step of administering to the patient an effective number of T cells produced according to the present invention.

[0079] The present invention further relates to the use of any of the described peptides, a nucleic acid according to the invention, an expression vector according to the invention, a cell according to the invention, an activated T lymphocyte, a T cell receptor or antibody or other peptide- and / or peptide-MHC-binding molecule according to the invention as a medicament or in the manufacture of a medicament, preferably said medicament being effective against cancer.

[0080] Preferably, the agent is a soluble TCR or antibody based cell therapy, a vaccine or a protein.

[0081] The present invention further relates to a use according to the invention, wherein said cancer cells are lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, melanoma, liver cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, gallbladder cancer, bile duct cancer, CRC, bladder cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, kidney cancer, leukemia (e.g. AML or CLL), ovarian cancer, esophageal cancer, brain cancer, and gastric (stomach) cancer, most preferably prostate cancer cells.

[0082] The present invention further relates to a peptide-based biomarker according to the present invention, referred to herein as "target", which can be used in the diagnosis of cancer, preferably prostate cancer. The marker can be the over-presentation of the peptide itself, or the over-expression of the corresponding gene. The marker can also be used to predict the probability of success of a treatment, preferably an immunotherapy, most preferably an immunotherapy that targets the same target identified by the biomarker. For example, tumor sections can be stained using antibodies or soluble TCR to detect the presence of the peptide of interest complexed with MHC.

[0083] Optionally, the antibody possesses additional effector functions, such as an immunostimulatory domain or a toxin.

[0084] The present invention also relates to the use of these novel targets in the context of cancer therapy.

[0085] Both therapeutic and diagnostic uses for additional cancer diseases are disclosed in the following more detailed description of the basic expression products (polypeptides) of the peptides according to the invention.

[0086] ATP-binding cassette, subfamily C (CFTR / MRP), member 4 (ABCC4)-ABCC4 can export a wide variety of endogenous and xenobiotic organic anionic compounds out of cells, including a wide variety of antiviral, cytostatic, antibiotic, and cardiovascular drugs, as well as molecules involved in cell signaling, thus endowing ABCC4 with important functions in cytoprotective and extracellular signaling pathways (Russel et al., 2008). ABCC4 levels are elevated in prostate cancer, and expression has been shown to be regulated by ex vivo androgen treatment. As a result, androgen deprivation treatment reduces ABCC4 expression in prostate cancer tissues. Furthermore, ABCC4 levels are reduced during prostate cancer progression (Ho et al., 2008; Montani et al., 2013). ABCC4 overexpression has been demonstrated in other cancer types, such as lung cancer (Zhao et al., 2014). Suppression of ABCC4 expression has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of ABCC4-overexpressing cancer cells in vitro ( Zhao et al., 2014 ) and restore sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents in drug-resistant cell lines ( Zhang et al., 2014 ).

[0087] Astrotactin 2 (ASTN2)-ASTN2 has been suggested to function in neuronal migration (Wilson et al., 2010).

[0088] Alpha-2-glycoprotein 1, zinc-binding (AZGP1)-ASTN2 stimulates lipolysis in adipocytes, leading to the extensive fat loss associated with some advanced cancers (UniProt, 2015). AZGP1 expression is increased in prostate cancer, where it is detectable in serum samples, and has been suggested as a potential biomarker (Hale et al., 2001). Levels are reduced in high-grade tumors, and AZGP1 expression is associated with reduced mortality and tumor recurrence in prostate cancer patients (Lapointe et al., 2004; Severi et al., 2014). AZGP1 has been suggested as a biomarker for breast cancer, where AZGP1 levels are reduced in poorly differentiated tumors (Hassan et al., 2008).

[0089] Chromosome 6 open reading frame 132 (C6orf132) - C6orf132 is located on chromosome 6p21.1 (RefSeq, 2002).

[0090] CDKN1A-interacting zinc finger protein 1 (CIZ1)-CIZ1 encodes a CDKN1A-interacting zinc finger protein that functions as a tumor suppressor (Nishibe et al., 2013). In colorectal cancer, CIZ1 was suggested to be involved in cancer progression by regulating cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, and colony formation (Yin et al., 2013). A CIZ1 mutant lacking a portion of the C-terminal domain was found in lung cancer cells even at early stages and has potential as a biomarker (Higgins et al., 2012).

[0091] The crystallin, μ(CRYM)-CRYM, specifically catalyzes the reduction of imine bonds (Hallen et al., 2011). CRYM is an androgen-regulated gene whose expression is elevated in prostate cancer but downregulated in castration-resistant tumors (Malinowska et al., 2009). CRYM was overexpressed in non-small cell lung cancer and in uterine leiomyosarcoma metastases compared to primary tumors (Chong et al., 2006; Davidson et al., 2014). CRYM expression was also found in breast cancer samples, and CRYM was recognized by sera from breast cancer patients in a SEREX assay (Forti et al., 2002).

[0092] Cysteine- and glycine-rich protein 2 (CSRP2)-CSRP2 belongs to the family of CSRP genes and encodes a LIM domain-containing protein. Overexpression of CSRP2 is associated with dedifferentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma (Midorikawa et al., 2002).

[0093] Desmin (DES)-DES are class III intermediate filaments found in muscle cells. They form a filamentous network that connects myofibrils to each other and to the plasma membrane from the periphery of Z-line structures (Clemen et al., 2015). DES expression is decreased in prostate cancer tissues, and low DES expression is associated with shorter disease-free intervals (Wu et al., 2014). In colorectal cancer, DES expression was elevated in advanced stage tumors, possibly due to increased microvascular density and thus elevated pericyte levels (Arentz et al., 2011). Furthermore, elevated DES levels are associated with reduced survival in colorectal cancer (Maetal., 2009).

[0094] Family with sequence similarity 129, member A (FAM129A)-FAM129A is located on chromosome 1q25 (RefSeq, 2002). Overexpression of FAM129A has been demonstrated in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (Ito et al., 2010a), thyroid tumors (Matsumoto et al., 2006), and renal cell carcinoma (Adachi et al., 2004).

[0095] FK506-binding protein 10 (FKBP10)-FKBP10 encodes FK506-binding protein 10, which belongs to the FKBP-type peptidyl-prolyl cis / trans isomerase family. The FKBP10 gene product is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum and plays the role of a molecular chaperone (RefSeq, 2002). FKBP10 is identified as a novel gene involved in the acquisition and maintenance of the adriamycin-resistant phenotype in leukemia cells (Sun et al., 2014). FKBP10 has been associated with colorectal cancer through its upregulation (Olesen et al., 2005). In contrast, low expression of FKBP10 was characteristic of epithelial ovarian cancer (Quinn et al., 2013).

[0096] GATA-binding protein 2 (GATA2)-GATA2 is crucial for hematopoiesis, and mutations in GATA2 are associated with myelodysplastic syndromes and myeloid leukemia (Bresnick et al., 2012). In solid tumors, overexpression of GATA2 has been described in breast cancer and correlated with poor prognosis in colorectal cancer and glioblastoma (Chen et al., 2013; Wang et al., 2015; Wang et al., 2012). In contrast, other reports rather suggest a decrease in GATA2 expression in neoplastic tissues, reporting an association between decreased GATA2 in hepatocellular carcinoma, bladder cancer, or renal cell carcinoma and tumor aggressiveness and poor outcome (Kandimalla et al., 2012; Peters et al., 2014; Li et al., 2014).

[0097] Growth regulation by estrogen in breast cancer (GREB1) - GREB1 is an estrogen-responsive gene that is an early response gene in the estrogen receptor regulatory pathway. It is thought to play an important role in hormone-responsive tissues and cancers (RefSeq, 2002). GREB1 is overexpressed in prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia and is involved in androgen-induced proliferation of prostate cancer cells (Rae et al., 2006). GREB1 also mediates estrogen-stimulated proliferation of ovarian and breast cancer cells (Laviolette et al., 2014).

[0098] Integrin α7 (ITGA7)-ITGA7 is the α chain of the laminin-1 receptor dimer integrin α-7 / β-1. ITGA7 is a tumor suppressor gene important in suppressing the growth of malignant tumors. Mutational analysis revealed ITGA7 mutations in prostate cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, soft tissue leiomyosarcoma, and glioblastoma multiforme. ITGA7 was downregulated in nonmetastatic prostate cancer and leiomyosarcoma (Tan et al., 2013).

[0099] Potassium voltage-gated channel, subfamily G, member 1 (KCNG1)-KCNG1 is abundantly expressed in skeletal muscle (Gutman et al., 2005).

[0100] KIAA1244-KIAA1244 encodes ARFGEF family member 3 and is located on chromosome 6q23.3. (RefSeq, 2002). KIAA1244 was found to be overexpressed in the majority of breast cancers (Nishidate et al., 2004).

[0101] Kinesin family member 7 (KIF7)-KIF7 is involved in various diseases including Joubert syndrome, Hydrolethalus syndrome, and acrocallosal syndrome. It is also involved in primary cilia formation (Klejnot and Kozielski, 2012). Aberrant activation of the Hedgehog signaling pathway, in which KIF7 plays a key role, leads to pathological consequences in various human tumors such as basal cell carcinoma of the skin, gastric cancer, and pancreatic cancer (Li et al., 2012; Katoh and Katoh, 2005).

[0102] Kallikrein-related peptidase 4 (KLK4)-KLK4 is one of 15 kallikrein subfamily members whose genes are located in a cluster on chromosome 19 (Hu et al., 2000). KLK4 is elevated in breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer (Schmitt et al., 2013). In prostate cancer, KLK4 interacts with androgen and mTOR signaling (Jin et al., 2013).

[0103] Lactotransferrin (LTF)-LTF is a multifunctional protein found at the highest levels in milk and at lower concentrations in other mucus. LTF has been shown to exert antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities, is involved in iron homeostasis, and plays a role in cell proliferation and differentiation, and in protecting against cancer development and metastasis (Ward et al., 2005). LTF is downregulated in prostate cancer tissue and serum compared to benign prostatic hyperplasia. Furthermore, reduced LTF levels correlate with poor patient survival (Shaheduzzaman et al., 2007). LTF inhibits cell proliferation by preventing cell cycle progression, possibly through several mechanisms including inhibition of NF-κB and Akt signaling (Deng et al., 2013; Ye et al., 2014). In addition, LTF also exerts proapoptotic effects, including activation of caspase-3 and JNK signaling (Sakai et al., 2005; Wang et al., 2011).

[0104] Leucine-zipper-like transcription regulator 1 (LZTR1)-LZTR1 may play a role in regulating the Ras / MAPK pathway (Yamamoto et al., 2015). LZTR1 is frequently mutated or deleted in glioblastoma (Frattinietal., 2013).

[0105] MANSC domain containing 1 (MANSC1)-MANSC1 is located on chromosome 12p13.2 (RefSeq, 2002).MANSC1 is significantly downregulated in prostate tumors; it may be important for the initiation or progression of prostate cancer (Kibel et al., 2004).MANSC1 shows increased expression in patients with various hematological malignancies (Haferlach et al., 2011).

[0106] Microtubule-associated protein 1B (MAP1B)-MAP1B is a microtubule-stabilizing protein that plays an important role in central nervous system development and axonal function (Halpain and Dehmelt, 2006). Immunohistochemical analysis of pediatric small round cell tumors suggested that MAP1B is expressed in neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and Wilms tumor, but not in Ewing sarcoma (Willoughby et al., 2008). Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase 4 (MAP4K4) MAP4K4 is a member of the serine / threonine protein kinase family and mediates the TNF-α signaling pathway (RefSeq, 2002). MAP4K4 has been suggested as a biomarker for prostate cancer aggressiveness (Rizzardi et al., 2014).

[0107] Misshapen-like kinase 1 (MINK1)-MINK1 regulates cytoskeletal organization and oncogenic cellular senescence. It is essential for cytokinesis (Hyodo et al., 2012). MINK1 is activated by Ras and mediates p38 activation during growth arrest and senescence (Nicke et al., 2005).

[0108] Mohawk homeobox (MKX)-MKX is a transcription factor with reported roles in the development of bone, skeletal muscle, and cartilage structures (Ito et al., 2010b).

[0109] Myosin, heavy chain 11, smooth muscle (MYH11)-MYH11 is assigned to chromosomal region 16q12 and is expressed in human umbilical arteries, bladder, esophagus, and trachea (Matsuoka et al., 1993). Inversions at the MYH11 chromosomal locus (inv(16);CBFB-MYH11) are frequently found in acute myeloid leukemia and lead to the formation of oncogenic chimeric proteins of core binding factor (CBF-β) and MYH11 (Liu et al., 1993). Low MYH11 expression levels are associated with poor prognosis in colorectal cancer (Wang et al., 2014).

[0110] Neurofilament, heavy polypeptide (NEFH)-Neurofilaments are type IV intermediate filament heteropolymers composed of light, medium, and heavy chains. Neurofilaments constitute the axonal skeleton and functionally maintain neuronal caliber. They may also play a role in intracellular transport to axons and dendrites. NEFH encodes a heavy neurofilament protein (RefSeq, 2002). In patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, methylation of NEFH CpG islands showed tumor-specific increase, association with advanced disease and distant metastasis, and was significantly associated with poor progression-free survival and shortened overall survival (Dubrowinskaja et al., 2014).

[0111] Olfactory receptor, family 51, subfamily E, member 2 (OR51E2) - OR51E2 is a member of the G protein-coupled olfactory receptor family that is predominantly expressed in human prostate and frequently overexpressed in prostate cancer (Weng et al., 2005). OR51E2-derived peptides may be used as diagnostic markers and immune targets for the development of anti-cancer vaccines (Matsueda et al., 2012).

[0112] Phosphodiesterase 11A (PDE11A)-PDE11A catalyzes the hydrolysis of cAMP and cGMP, thus downregulating the respective signaling pathways (Fawcett et al., 2000). Mutations in PDE11A have been associated with adrenal hyperplasia as well as familial testicular germ cell tumors (Greene et al., 2010; Horvath and Stratakis, 2008). One study also identified missense mutations in PDE11A in 30% of patients with prostate cancer. The mutants were characterized as exhibiting reduced in vitro PDE11A activity and their in vivo expression levels were reduced (Faucz et al., 2011).

[0113] Plectin (PLEC)-PLEC encodes plectin, a member of the plakin family, a protein involved in cross-linking and organization of cytoskeleton and adhesion complexes (Bouameur et al., 2014). PLEC is overexpressed in colorectal adenocarcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and pancreatic cancer (Lee et al., 2004; Katada et al., 2012; Bausch et al., 2011).

[0114] PR domain-containing 8 (PRDM8)-PRDM8 is a transcriptional repressor with histone methyltransferase activity. PRDM8 is regulated by the Notch-Hes pathway and plays a role in CNS development (Kinameri et al., 2008). RAB3B, a member of the RAS oncogene family (RAB3B)-RAB3B is a small GTP-binding protein implicated in the regulation of exocytosis (Rotondo et al., 2009). RAB3B is overexpressed in prostate cancer patients, suggesting that in addition to AR, FoxA1, and NKX3-1, RAB3B is a key regulator of prostate cancer progression (Tan et al., 2012).

[0115] Solute carrier family 39 (zinc transporter), member 6 (SLC39A6)-SLC39A6 encodes the zinc transporter ZIP6, a downstream effector molecule of soluble growth factors (Lue et al., 2011). In breast cancer, overexpression of SLC39A6 is associated with shorter time to recurrence as well as shorter time to disease-related death (Andres et al., 2013).

[0116] Six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate 2 (STEAP2)-STEAP2 encodes a multi-transmembrane protein that localizes to the Golgi apparatus, plasma membrane, and vesicular tubular structures in the cytosol (RefSeq, 2002). STEAP2 expression is elevated in prostate cancer patients with advanced disease. Overexpression of STEAP2 has been demonstrated to increase cell proliferation and migration and invasiveness in vitro, while knockdown may inhibit cell proliferation and promote apoptosis (Wang et al., 2010; Whiteland et al., 2014). Along with other members of the STEAP protein family, STEAP2 is also overexpressed in other cancer types. Furthermore, STEAP has been investigated as a cancer biomarker and a potential target for cancer immunotherapy (Grunewald et al., 2012).

[0117] Synemin, an intermediate filament protein (SYNM)-SYNM links desmin to the extracellular matrix and plays an important structural role in muscle (Bhosle et al., 2006). SYNM expression was downregulated in breast and hepatocellular carcinoma and correlated with poor survival, lymph node metastasis, and advanced grade (Noetzel et al., 2010; Liu et al., 2011).

[0118] Synaptopodon 2 (SYNPO2)-SYNPO2, also known as myopodin, is an actin-binding protein that plays a role in regulating cell migration in response to chemotactic stimuli (Kai et al., 2015). SYNPO2 is considered a tumor suppressor gene, and the absence of SYNPO2 in prostate cancer correlates with invasiveness and clinical recurrence (Yu et al., 2006).

[0119] Transforming growth factor beta 3 (TGFB3) - TGFB3 is one of at least three TGF-β isoforms. In normal cells, TGF-β signaling arrests cell cycle in the G1 phase, arresting proliferation, inducing differentiation, or promoting apoptosis (Hanahan and Weinberg, 2000). In NSCLC, TGFB3 is a pro-invasive factor (Petrella et al., 2012). TRAF2 and NCK interacting kinase (TNIK)-TNIK is a germinal center kinase, potentially involved in regulating the actin cytoskeleton (Fu et al., 1999). TNIK is an essential and specific activator of Wnt target genes. TNIK has been described as a central player in TRAF6-dependent JNK and NF-κB signaling and a transducer of activation and transformation signals in human B cells (Shkoda et al., 2012). In hormone receptor-negative breast cancer, TNIK has been identified as a potential oncogene affecting growth and proliferation (Jiao et al., 2013). Tryptase alpha / beta 1 (TPSAB1), tryptase beta 2 (TPSB2)-TPSAB1 and TPSB2 are both serine proteases primarily expressed by mast cells. The presence of tryptase-positive mast cells in tumor tissue correlates with angiogenesis in several cancer types, including melanoma, endometrial cancer, breast cancer, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer (Ammendola et al., 2014).

[0120] Transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily M, member 8 (TRPM8)-TRPM8 is a sodium and calcium channel that is activated in response to cold stimulation. TRPM8 is expressed primarily in prostate epithelial cells and also in some sensory neurons (Prevarskaya et al., 2007). TRPM8 has been reported to be overexpressed in prostate cancer and other cancer types, such as breast, colon, lung, and skin tumors (Tsavaler et al., 2001).

[0121] Thioredoxin domain-containing 16 (TXNDC16) - TXNDC16 encodes a protein of 858 amino acids with a putative thioredoxin 2 domain; its function is unknown. Autoantibodies against TXNDC16 have been detected in patients with meningiomas (Comtesse et al., 2005).

[0122] Unc-13 homolog B (UNC13B) - UNC13B is a component of a protein complex in the presynaptic active zone that controls neurotransmitter release by synaptic vesicle exocytosis ( Sudhof, 2012 ).

[0123] Zinc finger protein 426 (ZNF426)-ZNF426 is a transcriptional regulatory protein (Yang and Wood, 2007). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0124] Stimulation of an immune response depends on the presence of antigens that are recognized as foreign by the host immune system. The discovery of the existence of tumor-associated antigens has raised the possibility of using the host's immune system to intervene in tumor growth. Various mechanisms that exploit both the humoral and cellular arms of the immune system are currently being explored for cancer immunotherapy.

[0125] Certain elements of the cellular immune response can specifically recognize and destroy tumor cells. Isolation of T cells from tumor-infiltrating cell populations or from peripheral blood suggests that such cells play an important role in the innate immune defense against cancer. In particular, CD8+ T cells that recognize class I molecules of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-bearing peptides, usually of 8-10 amino acid residues, derived from proteins or defective ribosomal products (DRIPS) located in the cytosol, play a key role in this response. MHC molecules in humans are also referred to as human leukocyte antigens (HLA).

[0126] As used herein, all terms are defined as set forth below unless otherwise stated.

[0127] The term "T cell response" refers to the specific proliferation and activation of effector functions induced by peptides in vitro or in vivo. For MHC class I-restricted cytotoxic T cells, the effector functions may be lysis of peptide-pulsed, peptide precursor-pulsed or native peptide-presenting target cells; secretion of cytokines, preferably interferon-γ, TNF-α or IL-2, induced by the peptide; secretion of effector molecules, preferably granzymes or perforins, induced by the peptide; or degranulation.

[0128] The term "peptide" is used herein to designate a series of amino acid residues that are typically linked together by peptide bonds between the α-amino and carbonyl groups of adjacent amino acids. Peptides are preferably 9 amino acids in length, but can be as short as 8 amino acids in length, 10, 11, 12, 13 or more, and in the case of MHC class II peptides (extended variants of the peptides of the invention), they can be 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20 or more amino acids in length.

[0129] Furthermore, the term "peptide" is intended to include salts of a series of amino acid residues that are typically linked together by peptide bonds between the α-amino and carbonyl groups of adjacent amino acids. Preferably, the salt is a pharma- ceutically acceptable salt of the peptide, such as, for example, a chloride salt or an acetate salt (trifluoroacetate salt). It should be noted that peptides are not salts in vivo, so that the salts of the peptides according to the present invention have substantially different in vivo states from peptides.

[0130] The term "peptide" is also intended to include "oligopeptides." The term "oligopeptide" is used herein to designate a series of amino acid residues that are typically linked together by peptide bonds between the α-amino and carbonyl groups of adjacent amino acids. The length of the oligopeptide is not critical to the present invention, provided the correct epitope or epitopes are retained therein. Oligopeptides are typically less than about 30 amino acid residues in length and more than about 15 amino acids in length.

[0131] The term "polypeptide" refers to a series of amino acid residues that are typically linked together by peptide bonds between the α-amino and carbonyl groups of adjacent amino acids. The length of the polypeptide is not critical to the present invention, provided that the correct epitope is retained. In contrast to the term peptide or oligopeptide, the term polypeptide is intended to refer to a molecule that contains more than about 30 amino acid residues.

[0132] A peptide, oligopeptide, protein or polynucleotide encoding such a molecule is "immunogenic" if it is capable of inducing an immune response (and thus is an "immunogen" in the present invention). In the present invention, immunogenicity is more specifically defined as the ability to induce a T-cell response. Thus, an "immunogen" is a molecule capable of inducing an immune response, and in the present invention, a molecule capable of inducing a T-cell response. In another embodiment, the immunogen can be a peptide, a peptide-MHC complex, an oligopeptide, and / or a protein used to generate specific antibodies or TCRs against it.

[0133] A class I T cell "epitope" requires a short peptide bound to a class I MHC receptor to form a ternary complex (MHC class I α chain, β-2-microglobulin, and peptide) that can be recognized by a T cell bearing a compatible T cell receptor that binds to the MHC / peptide complex with appropriate affinity. Peptides that bind to MHC class I molecules are typically 8-14 amino acids in length, and most typically 9 amino acids in length.

[0134] In humans, there are three distinct genetic loci that code for MHC class I molecules (human MHC molecules also called human leukocyte antigens (HLA)): HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-C. * 01. HLA-A * 02, and HLA-B * 07 are examples of different MHC class I alleles that can be expressed from these loci.

[0135] Table 8: HLA-A * 02 and HLA-A * The frequency of expression, F, of 24, and the most frequent HLA-DR serotype. The frequency is calculated using the Hardy-Weinberg formula F = 1 - (1-Gf) 2 The haplotype frequency Gf in the American population was estimated using the haplotype frequency Gf in the American population adapted from Mori et al. (Mori et al., 1997). Due to linkage disequilibrium, A * 02 or A *Combinations of 24 with certain HLA-DR alleles may be more abundant or less abundant than would be predicted from their single frequencies. For details, see Chanock et al. (Chanock et al., 2004). [Table 8-1] [Table 8-2]

[0136] The peptides of the invention, when included in the vaccines of the invention described herein, preferably bind to HLA-A * 02 or HLA-A * 24. The vaccine may also comprise a pan-binding MHC class II peptide. Thus, the vaccine of the present invention can be used to * While cancer can be treated in 02-positive patients, the pan-binding properties of these peptides do not require selection of MHC class II allotypes.

[0137] A of the present invention * 02 If the peptide is, for example, A * When combined with a peptide that binds to another allele, such as HLA-A 24, a higher percentage of any patient population may be treated compared to addressing any one of the MHC class I alleles alone. In the majority of populations, less than 50% of patients could be addressed by any one of the alleles alone, while HLA-A 25 and HLA-A 26 may be combined with a peptide that binds to another allele, such as HLA-A 27 and HLA-A 28. * 24 and HLA-A * A vaccine comprising the 02 epitope may treat at least 60% of patients in any reasonable population. Specifically, at least one of these alleles is positive in the following percentages of patients in the following various geographies: United States 61%, Western Europe 62%, China 75%, South Korea 77%, Japan 86%. (Calculated from www.allelefrequencies.net).

[0138] In a preferred embodiment, the term "nucleotide sequence" refers to a heteropolymer of deoxyribonucleotides.

[0139] Nucleotide sequences encoding particular peptides, oligopeptides, or polypeptides may be of natural origin or they may be synthetically constructed. Generally, DNA fragments encoding the peptides, polypeptides, and proteins of the invention are constructed from cDNA fragments and short oligonucleotide linkers, or from stretches of oligonucleotides to provide synthetic genes capable of being expressed in recombinant transcription units comprising regulatory elements derived from microbial or viral operons.

[0140] As used herein, the term "nucleotide sequence encoding a peptide" refers to a nucleotide sequence that encodes a peptide that includes artificial start and stop codons that are compatible with the biological system in which the sequence is expressed, for example, by a dendritic cell or another cell line useful for producing a TCR.

[0141] As used herein, reference to a nucleic acid sequence includes both single-stranded and double-stranded nucleic acids. Thus, for example, a specific sequence refers to the single-stranded DNA of such sequence, the double strand of such sequence and its complement (double-stranded DNA), and the complement of such sequence, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0142] The term "coding region" refers to that portion of a gene that naturally or normally encodes an expression product of the gene in its natural genomic environment, i.e., the region that encodes the gene's natural expression product in vivo.

[0143] The coding region may be derived from a non-mutated ("normal"), mutated or altered gene, or may even be derived from a DNA sequence or gene that is entirely synthesized in the laboratory using methods well known to those skilled in the art of DNA synthesis.

[0144] The term "expression product" refers to a polypeptide or protein that is the natural translation product of a gene and of any nucleic acid sequence that codes for an equivalent due to the degeneracy of the genetic code and therefore codes for the same amino acid.

[0145] The term "fragment", when referring to a coding sequence, means a portion of DNA comprising less than the complete coding region, whose expression product retains essentially the same biological function or activity as the expression product of the complete coding region.

[0146] The term "DNA fragment" refers to a DNA polymer, either in the form of a separate fragment or as a component of a larger DNA construct, that is derived from DNA that has been isolated at least once in a substantially pure form, i.e., free from contaminating endogenous material, in an amount or concentration that allows the fragment and its constituent nucleotide sequences to be identified, manipulated, and recovered, for example, by standard biochemical methods using a cloning vector. Such fragments are provided in the form of an open reading frame that is uninterrupted by internal non-translated sequences or introns that are typically present in eukaryotic genes. Non-translated DNA sequences may be present downstream of the open reading frame, where they do not interfere with the manipulation or expression of the coding region.

[0147] The term "primer" means a short nucleic acid sequence that can pair with a single strand of DNA and provide a free 3'-OH end at which DNA polymerase initiates deoxyribonucleotide chain synthesis.

[0148] The term "promoter" refers to a region of DNA involved in binding RNA polymerase to initiate transcription.

[0149] The term "isolated" means that the material is removed from its original environment (e.g., the natural environment if it is of natural origin). For example, a naturally occurring polynucleotide or polypeptide present in a living animal is not isolated, but the same polynucleotide or polypeptide separated from some or all of the coexisting materials in a natural system is isolated. Such a polynucleotide may be part of a vector and / or such a polynucleotide or polypeptide may be part of a composition, but is still isolated in the sense that such a vector or composition is not part of its natural environment.

[0150] The polynucleotides and recombinant or immunogenic polypeptides disclosed by the present invention may be in "purified" form. The term "purified" does not necessarily mean completely pure; rather, it is intended to be a relative definition and may include highly purified preparations, or only partially purified preparations, as these terms are understood by those skilled in the art. For example, individual clones isolated from a cDNA library have been conventionally purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. Purification of the starting material or natural material to at least one order of magnitude, preferably two or three orders of magnitude, more preferably four or five orders of magnitude, is expressly contemplated. Furthermore, the claimed polypeptides are expressly encompassed, preferably having a purity of 99.999%, or at least 99.99% or 99.9% by weight; more desirably 99% or greater.

[0151] The nucleic acid and polypeptide expression products disclosed by the present invention, as well as expression vectors containing such nucleic acids and / or such polypeptides, may be in "enriched form". As used herein, the term "enriched" means that the concentration of a substance is (for example) at least about 2, 5, 10, 100, or 1000 times its natural concentration, advantageously 0.01% by weight, preferably at least about 0.1% by weight. Enriched preparations of about 0.5%, 1%, 5%, 10%, and 20% by weight are also contemplated. The sequences, constructs, vectors, clones, and other substances constituting the present invention may advantageously be in enriched or isolated form. The term "active fragment" refers to a peptide, polypeptide, or fragment of a nucleic acid sequence that generates an immune response (i.e., has immunogenicity) when administered, usually alone or optionally with a suitable adjuvant or in a vector, to an animal, such as a mammal, including, for example, a rabbit or mouse, and also humans, and such immune response takes the form of stimulating a T-cell response in a recipient animal, such as a human. Alternatively, the "active fragments" may also be used to induce T cell responses in vitro.

[0152] As used herein, when used in relation to a polypeptide, the terms "portion," "segment," and "fragment" refer to a sequence of consecutive residues, such as amino acid residues, which form a subset of a larger sequence. For example, if a polypeptide is treated with any of the common endopeptidases, such as trypsin or chymotrypsin, the oligopeptides resulting from such treatment will represent portions, segments, or fragments of the starting polypeptide. When used in relation to a polynucleotide, these terms refer to the products resulting from the treatment of said polynucleotide with any of the endonucleases.

[0153] According to the present invention, when referring to a sequence, the term "percentage of identity" or "percent identical" means that the sequence is compared to the claimed or described sequence ("reference sequence") after alignment of the sequence to be compared ("comparison sequence") with the described or claimed sequence. The percentage of identity is then determined according to the following formula: Percent identity=100[1-(C / R)] where C is the number of differences between the reference sequence and the compared sequence over the alignment length between the reference sequence and the compared sequence, (i) each base or amino acid in the reference sequence that does not have a corresponding aligned base or amino acid in the comparison sequence; and (ii) each gap in the reference sequence, and (iii) each aligned base or amino acid in the reference sequence that differs from an aligned base or amino acid in the comparison sequence constitutes a difference; (iiii) the alignment must start at position 1 of the matching sequence; R is the number of bases or amino acids in the reference sequence over the length of the alignment with the comparison sequence, and any gaps that occur in the reference sequence are also counted as bases or amino acids.

[0154] If there is an alignment between a comparison sequence and a reference sequence for which the identity percentage is calculated as above that is about or exceeds a particular minimum identity percentage, then the comparison sequence has a particular minimum identity percentage with the reference sequence, even if there is an alignment therein whose identity percentage calculated as above is less than the particular identity percentage.

[0155] Thus, as mentioned above, the present invention provides a peptide comprising a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 48, or a variant thereof that is 88% homologous to SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 48, or a variant thereof that cross-reacts T cells with said peptide. The peptide of the present invention has the ability to bind human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules or extended versions of said peptides to class II.

[0156] In the present invention, the term "homologous" refers to the degree of identity between two amino acid sequences, i.e., peptide or polypeptide sequences (see percentage identity above). Said "homology" is determined by comparing two sequences aligned under optimal conditions across the sequences being compared. Such sequence homology can be calculated, for example, by creating an alignment using the ClustalW algorithm. Publicly available sequence analysis software, more specifically Vector NTI, GENETYX or other tools, are provided by public databases.

[0157] One skilled in the art would be able to assess whether T cells induced by a variant of a particular peptide are able to cross-react with the peptide itself (Appay et al., 2006; Colombetti et al., 2006; Fong et al., 2001; Zaremba et al., 1997).

[0158] By "mutant" of a given amino acid sequence, we mean that, for example, the side chains of one or two of the amino acid residues are altered (e.g., by replacing them with the side chains of another naturally occurring amino acid residue, or with other side chains) such that the peptide is still able to bind to an HLA molecule substantially similarly to a peptide consisting of the given amino acid sequence consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48. * It may also be modified to at least maintain, if not improve, its ability to interact with and bind to the binding groove of an appropriate MHC molecule, such as -02 or -DR, and thus at least maintain, if not improve, its ability to bind to the TCR of an activated CTL.

[0159] These T cells can subsequently cross-react with and kill cells expressing a polypeptide containing the native amino acid sequence of the cognate peptide as defined in the embodiments of the present invention. As can be deduced from the academic literature and databases (Rammensee et al., 1999; Godkin et al., 1997), certain positions of HLA-binding peptides are typically anchor residues, forming a core sequence that fits the binding motif of the HLA receptor defined by the polar, electrophysical, hydrophobic, and spatial properties of the polypeptide chain that constitute the binding groove. Thus, one skilled in the art could modify the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO:1-SEQ ID NO:48 by retaining the known anchor residues and determine whether such variants maintain the ability to bind to MHC class I or II molecules. The variants of the present invention maintain the ability to bind to the TCR of activated T cells, which can subsequently cross-react with and kill cells expressing a polypeptide containing the native amino acid sequence of the cognate peptide as defined in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0160] The original (unmodified) peptides disclosed herein may be modified by substitution of one or more residues at different, possibly selective, sites in the peptide chain, unless otherwise specified. Preferably, these substitutions are located at the ends of the amino acid chain. Such substitutions may be of a conservative nature, e.g., an amino acid is replaced by an amino acid of similar structure and characteristics, such as a hydrophobic amino acid being replaced by another hydrophobic amino acid. Even more conservative substitutions are the replacement of amino acids of the same or similar size and chemical properties, such as the replacement of leucine by isoleucine. In studies of sequence diversity of naturally occurring homologous protein families, certain amino acid substitutions are often tolerated better than others, and these often show a correlation with the similarity of size, charge, polarity, and hydrophobicity between the original amino acid and its replacement, which is the basis for the definition of "conservative substitution".

[0161] Conservative substitutions are defined herein as exchanges within one of the following five groups: Group 1 - small aliphatic, non-polar or slightly polar residues (Ala, Ser, Thr, Pro, Gly); Group 2 - polar negatively charged residues and their amides (Asp, Asn, Glu, Gln); Group 3 - polar positively charged residues (His, Arg, Lys); Group 4 - large aliphatic non-polar residues (Met, Leu, Ile, Val, Cys); and Group 5 - large aromatic residues (Phe, Tyr, Trp).

[0162] A less conservative substitution might involve the substitution of another amino acid with similar characteristics but somewhat different in size, such as the substitution of an alanine with an isoleucine residue. A highly non-conservative substitution might involve the substitution of a polar amino acid for an acidic one, or of a basic amino acid for an acidic one. However, such "radical" substitutions cannot be dismissed as potentially ineffective, since chemical effects are not completely predictable, and radical substitutions can produce fortuitous effects not predictable from simple chemical principles.

[0163] Of course, such substitutions may involve structures other than the usual L-amino acids. Thus, D-amino acids may be substituted for L-amino acids normally found in the antigenic peptides of the invention and still be encompassed by the disclosure herein. Furthermore, non-standard amino acids (i.e., other than the common naturally occurring proteogenic amino acids) may also be used for substitution purposes to produce immunogens and immunogenic polypeptides according to the invention.

[0164] When substitutions at two or more positions are found to result in a peptide with substantially equal or greater antigenic activity as defined below, combinations of these substitutions are tested to determine whether the combination of substitutions results in an additive or synergistic effect on the antigenicity of the peptide. At a maximum, no more than four positions within a peptide are substituted simultaneously.

[0165] Peptides consisting essentially of amino acid sequences as shown herein may have one or two non-anchor amino acids (see below for anchor motifs) that are exchanged without substantially altering or adversely affecting their ability to bind to human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I or II molecules, as compared to the unmodified peptide. In another embodiment, in peptides consisting essentially of amino acid sequences as shown herein, one or two amino acids may be exchanged with their conservative exchange partners (see below), as compared to the unmodified peptide, without substantially altering or adversely affecting their ability to bind to human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I or II molecules.

[0166] Amino acid residues that do not substantially contribute to the interaction with the T cell receptor may be modified by substitution with other amino acids whose incorporation does not substantially affect T cell reactivity or preclude binding to the relevant MHC. Thus, except for the provisos given, a peptide of the invention may be any peptide (we include in that term an oligopeptide or polypeptide) comprising an amino acid sequence as given or a portion or variant thereof.

[0167] Table 9: HLA-A as set forth in SEQ ID NOs: 2, 4, and 8 * Preferred variants and motifs of 02 peptides: [Table 9-1] [Table 9-2]

[0168] Table 10: HLA-A as set forth in SEQ ID NOs: 25, 30, and 34 * 24 Preferred peptide variants and motifs: [Table 10]

[0169] Longer (extended) peptides may also be suitable. MHC class I epitopes are usually 8-11 amino acids long, but can be generated by peptide processing from longer peptides or proteins that contain the actual epitope. The residues flanking the actual epitope are preferably those that do not substantially affect the proteolytic cleavage required to expose the actual epitope during processing.

[0170] The peptides of the invention may be extended by up to 4 amino acids, i.e. 1, 2, 3 or 4 amino acids may be added to either end in any combination between 4:0 and 0:4. The extension combinations according to the invention are given in Table 11.

[0171] Table 11: Combinations of extensions of peptides of the invention [Table 11]

[0172] The amino acids for extension / lengthening can be the peptides of the original protein sequence or any other amino acids. Extensions can be used to increase the stability or solubility of the peptides.

[0173] Thus, epitopes of the present invention may be identical to naturally occurring tumor-associated or tumor-specific epitopes, or may include epitopes that differ from the reference peptide by no more than four residues, so long as they have substantially the same antigenic activity.

[0174] In alternative embodiments, the peptide is extended on one or both sides by more than four amino acids, preferably up to a total length of 30 amino acids. This may result in an MHC class II binding peptide. Binding to MHC class II may be tested by methods known in the art.

[0175] Thus, the present invention provides peptides and variants of MHC class I epitopes, the peptides or variants having an overall length of 8-100, preferably 8-30, most preferably 8-14, i.e. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 amino acids, and in the case of extended class II binding peptides the length may also be 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 or 22 amino acids.

[0176] Of course, the peptides or variants according to the invention have the ability to bind to molecules of the human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I or II. The binding of the peptides or variants to the MHC complexes may be tested by methods known in the art.

[0177] Preferably, when T cells specific for a peptide according to the invention are tested with a substituted peptide, the peptide concentration at which the substituted peptide achieves half-maximal increase in lysis over background is about 1 mM or less, preferably about 1 μM or less, more preferably about 1 nM or less, even more preferably about 100 pM or less, and most preferably about 10 pM or less. It is also preferred that the substituted peptide is recognized by T cells from more than one individual, at least two, and more preferably three individuals.

[0178] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the peptide consists or consists essentially of the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48.

[0179] "Consisting essentially of" is intended to mean that the peptide according to the invention contains, in addition to a sequence as set forth in any of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 48 or a variant thereof, an additional N- and / or C-terminally located sequence of amino acids which do not necessarily constitute part of the peptide that functions as an epitope for an MHC molecule epitope.

[0180] Nevertheless, these sequences may be important to provide efficient transfer of the peptide according to the invention into cells. In one embodiment of the invention, the peptide is part of a fusion protein comprising the 80 N-terminal amino acids of the HLA-DR antigen-associated invariant chain (p33, hereafter "Ii"), e.g. from NCBI, GenBank accession number X00497. In other fusions, the peptide of the invention may be fused to an antibody as described herein, or a functional part thereof, in particular to an antibody sequence, so as to be specifically targeted by said antibody, or may be fused to or in an antibody specific for dendritic cells, e.g. as described herein.

[0181] Furthermore, the peptides or variants may be further modified to improve stability and / or binding to MHC molecules in order to elicit a stronger immune response. Such methods of optimizing peptide sequences are well known in the art and include, for example, the introduction of reverse peptide bonds or non-peptide bonds.

[0182] In reverse peptide bond, amino acid residues are not linked by peptide (-CO-NH-) bond, but peptide bond is reversed. Such retro-inverso peptidomimetics can be produced using methods known in the art, such as those described in Meziere et al (1997) (Meziere et al., 1997), which is incorporated herein by reference. This approach involves the generation of pseudopeptides that contain changes that involve the main chain, but not the side chain orientation. Meziere et al. (Meziere et al., 1997) show that these pseudopeptides are useful for MHC binding and T helper cell response. Retro-inverse peptides that contain NH-CO bond instead of CO-NH peptide bond are much more resistant to proteolysis.

[0183] Non-peptide bonds are, for example, -CH2-NH, -CH2S-, -CH2CH2-, -CH=CH-, -COCH2-, -CH(OH)CH2-, and -CH2SO-. U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,445 provides a method for the solid phase synthesis of non-peptide bonds (-CH2-NH) in polypeptide chains, involving polypeptides synthesized by standard procedures and non-peptide bonds synthesized by reacting amino acids with amino aldehydes in the presence of NaCNBH3.

[0184] Peptides comprising the above sequences may be synthesized with additional chemical groups present at their amino and / or carboxy termini to enhance the stability, bioavailability, and / or affinity of the peptides. For example, hydrophobic groups such as carbobenzoxyl, dansyl, or t-butyloxycarbonyl groups may be added to the amino termini of the peptides. Similarly, an acetyl group or a 9-fluorenylmethoxy-carbonyl group may be placed at the amino termini of the peptides. Additionally, hydrophobic groups, t-butyloxycarbonyl, or amide groups may be added to the carboxy termini of the peptides.

[0185] Furthermore, the peptides of the present invention may be synthesized to modify their conformation. For example, the D-isomer of one or more amino acid residues of the peptide may be used instead of the usual L-isomer. Still further, at least one of the amino acid residues of the peptide of the present invention may be substituted with one of the well-known non-naturally occurring amino acid residues. Changes such as these may help to increase the stability, bioavailability and / or binding activity of the peptide of the present invention.

[0186] Similarly, the peptides or variants of the invention may be chemically modified by reacting specific amino acids either before or after peptide synthesis. Examples of such modifications are well known in the art and are summarized, for example, in R. Lundblad, Chemical Reagents for Protein Modification, 3rd ed. CRC Press, 2004 (Lundblad, 2004), which is incorporated herein by reference. Chemical modifications of amino acids include, but are not limited to, acylation, amidination, pyridoxylation of lysine, reductive alkylation, trinitrobenzylation of amino groups with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS), amide and sulfhydryl modification of carboxyl groups by performic acid oxidation of cysteine ​​to cysteic acid, mercury derivative formation, mixed disulfide formation with other thiol compounds, reaction with maleimide, carboxymethylation with iodoacetic acid or iodoacetamide, and carbamoylation with cyanate at alkaline pH. In this regard, those skilled in the art are referred to Chapter 15 of Current Protocols In Protein Science, Eds.Coligan et al. (John Wiley and Sons NY 1995-2000) (Coligan et al., 1995) for more detailed procedures regarding chemical modification of proteins.

[0187] Briefly, the modification of arginyl residues, for example in proteins, is often based on the reaction of vicinal dicarbonyl compounds such as phenylglyoxal, 2,3-butanedione, and 1,2-cyclohexanedione to form adducts. Another example is the reaction of arginine residues with methylglyoxal. Cysteines can be modified without the concomitant modification of other nucleophilic sites such as lysines and histidines. As a result, a large number of reagents are available for cysteine ​​modification. Company websites such as Sigma-Aldrich (http: / / www.sigma-aldrich.com) provide information on specific reagents.

[0188] Selective reduction of disulfide bonds in proteins is also common. Disulfide bonds can be formed and oxidized during heat treatment of biopharmaceuticals. Specific glutamic acid residues may be modified using Woodward's reagent K. N-(3-(dimethylamino)propyl)-N'-ethylcarbodiimide can be utilized to form intramolecular crosslinks between lysine and glutamic acid residues. For example, diethylpyrocarbonate is a reagent for histidyl residue modification in proteins. Histidine can also be modified using 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal. Reactants of lysine residues and other α-amino groups are useful, for example, in binding peptides to surfaces or protein / peptide crosslinking. Lysine is the site of attachment of poly(ethylene) glycol and is the primary modification site for glycosylation of proteins. Methionine residues in proteins can be modified, for example, by iodoacetamide, bromoethylamine, and chloramine T.

[0189] Tyrosyl residues can be modified using tetranitromethane and N-acetylimidazole. Cross-linking through the formation of dityrosine can be achieved with hydrogen peroxide / copper ion.

[0190] Recent studies on the modification of tryptophan have used N-bromosuccinimide, 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl bromide or 3-bromo-3-methyl-2-(2-nitrophenylmercapto)-3H-indole (BPNS-skatole).

[0191] Successful modification of therapeutic proteins and peptides with PEG is often associated with increased circulatory half-life, while cross-linking of proteins with glutaraldehyde, polyethylene glycol diacrylate, and formaldehyde is used for hydrogel preparation. Chemical modification of allergens for immunotherapy is often achieved by carbamylation with potassium cyanate.

[0192] Peptides or variants, in which the peptide is modified or contains non-peptide bonds, are preferred embodiments of the present invention. In general, peptides and variants (at least those containing peptide bonds between amino acid residues) may be synthesized by the Fmoc-polyamide mode of solid-phase peptide synthesis, as disclosed by Lukas et al. (Lukas et al., 1981) and the references cited therein. Temporary N-amino group protection is provided by the 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc) group. Repetitive cleavage of this highly base-labile protecting group is carried out using 20% ​​piperidine in N,N-dimethylformamide. Side chain functional groups may be protected as their butyl ethers (for serine, threonine, and tyrosine), butyl esters (for glutamic acid and aspartic acid), butyloxycarbonyl derivatives (for lysine and histidine), trityl derivatives (for cysteine), and 4-methoxy-2,3,6-trimethylbenzenesulfonyl derivatives (for arginine). When glutamine or asparagine is the C-terminal residue, a 4,4'-dimethoxybenzhydryl group is utilized to protect the side chain amide functionality. The solid support is based on a polydimethyl-acrylamide polymer, composed of three monomers: dimethylacrylamide (backbone monomer), bisacryloylethylenediamine (crosslinker), and acryloylsarcosine methyl ester (functionalizer). The peptide-to-resin cleavable coupling agent used is an acid-labile 4-hydroxymethyl-phenoxyacetic acid derivative. All amino acid derivatives are added as their preformed symmetrical anhydride derivatives, except for asparagine and glutamine, which are added using a reverse N,N-dicyclohexyl-carbodiimide / 1-hydroxybenzotriazole mediated coupling procedure. All coupling and deprotection reactions are monitored using ninhydrin, trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid or isatin test procedures. Upon completion of synthesis, the peptide is cleaved from the resin support and the side chain protecting groups are simultaneously removed by treatment with 95% trifluoroacetic acid containing a 50% scavenger mixture.Commonly used scavengers include ethanedithiol, phenol, anisole, and water, with the exact choice depending on the constituent amino acids of the peptide being synthesized. A combination of solid-phase and solution-phase methods for the synthesis of peptides is also possible (see, for example, (Bruckdorfer et al., 2004) and references cited therein).

[0193] Trifluoroacetic acid is removed by evaporation in vacuo, followed by trituration with diethyl ether to give the crude peptide. Any scavengers present are removed by a simple extraction procedure which, upon lyophilization of the aqueous phase, gives the scavenger-free crude peptide. Reagents for peptide synthesis are generally available, for example from Calbiochem-Novabiochem (Nottingham, UK).

[0194] Purification may be achieved by any one or combination of techniques such as recrystallization, size exclusion chromatography, ion exchange chromatography, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, and (usually) reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography using, for example, an acetonitrile / water gradient separation.

[0195] Analysis of peptides may be carried out using thin layer chromatography, electrophoresis, in particular capillary electrophoresis, solid phase extraction (CSPE), reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography, amino acid analysis after acid hydrolysis, by fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry, as well as by MALDI and ESI-Q-TOF mass spectrometry.

[0196] To select over-represented peptides, a presentation profile is calculated, which shows the median sample presentation as well as the replicate variation. The profile juxtaposes the samples of the tumor entity of interest to the baseline of normal samples. Each of these profiles can then be combined into an over-representation score (see Example 1) by calculating the p-value of the linear mixed-effects model (Pinheiro et al., 2015) and correcting for multiple testing by false discovery rate (Benjamini and Hochberg, 1995).

[0197] For identification and relative quantification of HLA ligands by mass spectrometry, HLA molecules from shock-frozen samples were purified and HLA-associated peptides were isolated. Since peptides derived from prostate-specific antigens can be identified in any prostate tissue, regardless of its benign or malignant status, in addition to prostate cancer tissue specimens, benign prostatic hyperplasia samples were also analyzed with the aim of identifying peptides encoded by prostate-specific antigens. The isolated peptides were separated and sequenced by online nanoelectrospray ionization (nanoESI) liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) experiments. The obtained peptide sequences were analyzed using a 100% ELISA kit with ... * 02 positive samples and N=37A * 24 positive samples) and additional benign prostatic hyperplasia (N=10A * 02 positive samples and N=3A * The fragmentation patterns of the native TUMAPs recorded from 24 positive samples were confirmed by comparison with those of the corresponding synthetic standard peptides of identical sequences. Since the peptides were directly identified as ligands of HLA molecules in neoplastic tissues, these results provide direct evidence of native processing and presentation of the identified peptides on tumor tissues obtained from 70 patients with prostate tumors.

[0198] The discovery pipeline XPRESIDENT® v2.1 (see, e.g., U.S. Patent No. 2013-0096016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference) enables the identification and selection of plausible over-presented peptide vaccine candidates based on direct relative quantification of HLA-restricted peptide levels on cancer tissues compared to several different non-cancerous tissues and organs. This was achieved by development of label-free differential quantification combining algorithms for sequence identification, spectral clustering, ion counting, retention time alignment, charge state deconvolution, and normalization using acquired LC-MS data processed with a proprietary data analysis pipeline.

[0199] Presentation levels were established, including error estimates for each peptide and sample. Peptides that are exclusively presented on tumor tissues and peptides that are over-presented in tumors compared to non-cancerous tissues and organs were identified.

[0200] HLA-peptide complexes from prostate tumor tissue samples were purified to isolate HLA-binding peptides and analyzed by LC-MS (see Examples). All TUMAPs included in this application were identified using this approach on prostate tumor samples and their presentation on prostate tumors was confirmed.

[0201] TUMAPs identified on multiple prostate cancer, prostate hyperplasia, and normal tissues were quantified using ion counting of label-free LC-MS data. The method assumes that the LC-MS signal area of ​​a peptide correlates with its abundance in the sample. All quantitative signals of peptides in different LC-MS experiments were normalized based on central tendency, averaged per sample, and merged into a bar graph called the presentation profile. The presentation profile integrates different analytical methods such as protein database searching, spectral clustering, charge state deconvolution, and retention time alignment and normalization.

[0202] Furthermore, the discovery pipeline XPRESIDENT® v2.x allows for the direct absolute quantification of MHC-restricted, preferably HLA-restricted, peptide levels on cancer or other infected tissues. Briefly, the total cell number was calculated from the total DNA content of the analyzed tissue samples. The total peptide amount of TUMAP in the tissue samples was measured by nanoLC-MS / MS as a ratio between native TUMAP and a known amount of an isotope-labeled version of TUMAP, the so-called internal standard. The efficiency of TUMAP isolation was determined by spiking the peptide:MHC complexes of all selected TUMAP to the tissue lysate as early as possible in the TUMAP isolation procedure and their detection by nanoLC-MS / MS following the completion of the peptide isolation procedure. The total cell number and total peptide amount were calculated from triplicate measurements per tissue sample. The peptide isolation efficiency was calculated as the average from 10 spike experiments, each measured in triplicate (see Example 6).

[0203] The present invention provides peptides useful for treating cancer / tumors, preferably prostate cancer, that overly or exclusively present the peptides of the present invention. These peptides have been shown by mass spectrometry to be naturally presented by HLA molecules on human prostate tumor samples.

[0204] Many of the original genes / proteins (also referred to as "full-length proteins" or "basic proteins") from which the peptides are derived have been shown to be highly overexpressed in tumors compared to normal tissues, with "normal tissue" in the context of the present invention being taken to mean normal non-prostate tissue cells, indicating a high degree of tumor association of the original genes (see Example 2). Furthermore, the peptides themselves are strongly over-represented on tumor tissues, but not on normal tissues, and "tumor tissue" in the context of the present invention is taken to mean samples derived from patients suffering from prostate tumors (see Example 1).

[0205] HLA-bound peptides can be recognized by the immune system, particularly T lymphocytes, which can destroy cells presenting the recognized HLA / peptide complex, such as prostate tumor cells presenting the derived peptide.

[0206] The peptides of the present invention have been shown to be capable of stimulating T cell responses and / or being over-presented, and therefore can be used in accordance with the present invention for the manufacture of antibodies and / or TCRs, such as soluble TCRs (see Example 3, Example 4). Furthermore, the peptides, when complexed with the respective MHC, can also be used for the manufacture of antibodies and / or TCRs, in particular TCRs, according to the present invention. The respective methods are well known to those skilled in the art and can also be found in the respective references. The peptides of the present invention are therefore useful for generating an immune response in a patient, by which tumor cells can be destroyed. The immune response in a patient can be induced by directly administering to the patient the described peptides, or suitable precursors (e.g. extended peptides, proteins, or nucleic acids encoding these peptides), ideally in combination with agents (i.e. adjuvants) that enhance immunogenicity. Since the target peptides of the present invention are not presented in equivalent copy number on normal non-prostatic tissues, the immune response resulting from such therapeutic vaccination can be expected to be highly specific to tumor cells, preventing the risk of unwanted autoimmune reactions against normal cells of the patient. Prostate-specific antigens may be a good choice for cancer immunotherapy of prostate cancer because they represent tumor-specific targets in prostatectomized patients. Such antigens may also be of interest in non-prostatectomized prostate cancer patients, because the prostate is not considered a vital organ.

[0207] The present specification further relates to T cell receptors (TCRs) comprising an aβ chain and an aβ chain ("α / βTCR"). Also provided are peptides of the invention capable of binding to TCRs and antibodies when presented by MHC molecules. The present specification also relates to nucleic acids, vectors, and host cells for expressing the TCRs and peptides of the present specification; and methods of using the same.

[0208] The term "T cell receptor" (abbreviated as TCR) refers to a heterodimeric molecule comprising an α polypeptide chain (α chain) and an aβ polypeptide chain (β chain), which heterodimeric receptor can bind peptide antigens presented by HLA molecules. The term also includes the so-called γ / δ TCRs.

[0209] In one embodiment, the specification provides a method of producing a TCR as described herein, the method comprising culturing a host cell capable of expressing the TCR under conditions suitable to promote expression of the TCR.

[0210] Another embodiment relates to a method described herein in which a sufficient amount of antigen is contacted with an antigen-presenting cell to load the antigen onto class I or II MHC molecules expressed on the surface of a suitable antigen-presenting cell or artificial antigen-presenting cell, or the antigen / class I or II MHC complex monomers are tetramerized to load the antigen onto class I or II MHC tetramers.

[0211] The α and β chains of α / β TCRs, and the γ and δ chains of γ / δ TCRs, are generally each considered to have two "regions", a variable and a constant region. The variable region consists of a joining variable region (V) and a joining region (J). The variable region may also include a leader region (L). The β and δ chains may also include a diversity region (D). The α and β constant regions may also include a C-terminal transmembrane (TM) region that anchors the α and β chains to the cell membrane.

[0212] With respect to gamma / delta TCRs, the term "TCR gamma variable region" as used herein refers to the junction of the TCR gamma V (TRGV) region without the leader region (L) and the TCR gamma J (TRGJ) region, and the term TCR gamma constant region refers to the extracellular TRGC region or to a C-terminal truncated TRGC sequence. Similarly, the term "TCR delta variable region" refers to the junction of the TCR delta V (TRDV) region without the leader region (L) and the TCR delta D / J (TRDD / TRDJ) region, and the term "TCR delta constant region" refers to the extracellular TRDC region or to a C-terminal truncated TRDC sequence.

[0213] The TCRs of the present invention preferably bind to the peptide-HLA molecule complexes of the present invention with a binding affinity (KD) of about 1 μM or less, about 0.01 μM or less, about 25 μM or less, or about 10 μM or less. More preferred are high affinity TCRs having a binding affinity of about 1 μM or less, about 100 nM or less, about 50 nM or less, or about 25 nM or less. Non-limiting examples of preferred binding affinity ranges for the TCRs of the present invention include about 1 nM to about 10 nM; about 10 nM to about 20 nM; about 20 nM to about 30 nM; about 30 nM to about 40 nM; about 40 nM to about 50 nM; about 50 nM to about 60 nM; about 60 nM to about 70 nM; about 70 nM to about 80 nM; about 80 nM to about 90 nM; and about 90 nM to about 100 nM.

[0214] As used herein, in the context of the TCRs herein, "specific binding" and grammatical variations thereof are used to mean a TCR that has a binding affinity (KD) of 1 μM or less for the peptide-HLA molecule complex of the invention.

[0215] The α / β heterodimeric TCRs herein may have a disulfide bond introduced between their constant regions. Preferred TCRs of this type include those having a TRAC constant region sequence and a TRBC1 or TRBC2 constant region sequence, with Thr48 of TRAC and Ser57 of TRBC1 or TRBC2 replaced by cysteine ​​residues that form a disulfide bond between the TRAC constant region sequence and the TRBC1 or TRBC2 constant region sequence of the TCR.

[0216] In the presence or absence of the above-mentioned introduced interchain bond, the α / β heterodimeric TCR of the present specification may have a TRAC constant region sequence and a TRBC1 or TRBC2 constant region sequence, and the TRAC constant region sequence of the TCR and the TRBC1 or TRBC2 constant region sequence may be linked by a native disulfide bond between Cys4 of exon 2 of TRAC and Cys2 of exon 2 of TRBC1 or TRBC2.

[0217] The TCRs herein may comprise a detectable label selected from the group consisting of a radionuclide, a fluorophore, and biotin. The TCRs herein may be conjugated to a therapeutically active agent, such as a radionuclide, a chemotherapeutic agent, or a toxin.

[0218] In one embodiment, the TCRs herein having at least one mutation in the alpha chain and / or having at least one mutation in the beta chain have modified glycosylation compared to the non-mutated TCR.

[0219] In one embodiment, a TCR comprising at least one mutation in the TCR α and / or TCR β chain has at least twice the binding affinity and / or binding half-life to the peptide-HLA molecule complex of the invention as a TCR comprising a non-mutated TCR α and / or non-mutated TCR β chain. The affinity enhancement of tumor-specific TCRs and their utilization depend on the existence of a window of optimal TCR affinity. The existence of such a window is based on the observation that TCRs specific for HLA-A2-restricted pathogens generally have about 10-fold lower KD values ​​compared to TCRs specific for HLA-A2-restricted tumor-associated self-antigens. Although tumor antigens have the potential to be immunogenic, it is now known that only mutant proteins or proteins with altered translational processing are considered foreign by the immune system, since tumors arise from an individual's own cells. Antigens that are upregulated or overexpressed (so-called self-antigens) do not necessarily induce a functional immune response against tumors. T cells expressing highly reactive TCRs to these antigens are negatively selected in the thymus by a process known as central immune tolerance, i.e., only T cells with low affinity TCRs to self-antigens remain. Thus, the affinity of the TCRs or variants herein for the peptides of the invention can be increased by methods well known in the art.

[0220] The present invention further relates to a method for identifying and isolating a TCR according to the present invention, the method comprising the steps of: * The method comprises the steps of incubating PBMCs from 02-negative healthy donors with A2 / invention peptide monomers, incubating the PBMCs with tetrameric phycoerythrin (PE), and isolating high avidity T cells by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) Calibur analysis.

[0221] The present specification further relates to a method for identifying and isolating TCRs according to the present specification, comprising the steps of obtaining a transgenic mouse carrying a fully human TCRαβ gene locus (1.1 and 0.7 Mb) whose T cells express a diverse human TCR repertoire that compensates for the mouse TCR deficiency, immunizing the mouse with HAVCR1-001, incubating PBMC obtained from the transgenic mouse with tetrameric phycoerythrin (PE), and isolating high avidity T cells by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) Calibur analysis.

[0222] In one embodiment, to obtain T cells expressing the TCR of the present invention, the nucleic acid encoding the TCR-α and / or TCR-β chain of the present invention is cloned into an expression vector, such as a gamma retrovirus or lentivirus. Recombinant viruses are generated and then tested for function, such as antigen specificity and functional binding activity. An aliquot of the final product is then used to transduce a target T cell population (generally purified from the patient's PBMC), which is expanded before infusion into the patient.

[0223] In another embodiment, to obtain T cells expressing the TCRs herein, TCR RNA is synthesized by techniques known in the art, such as, for example, in vitro transcription systems. The in vitro synthesized TCR RNA is then introduced by electroporation into primary CD8+ T cells obtained from healthy donors to re-express the tumor-specific TCR-α and / or TCR-β chains.

[0224] To increase expression, the nucleic acids encoding the TCRs herein may be operably linked to strong promoters such as retroviral long terminal repeat (LTR), cytomegalovirus (CMV), murine stem cell virus (MSCV) U3, phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK), β-actin, ubiquitin, and simian virus 40 (SV40) / CD43 composite promoter, elongation factor (EF)-1a, and spleen focus forming virus (SFFV) promoter. In a preferred embodiment, the promoter is heterologous to the nucleic acid to be expressed.

[0225] In addition to a strong promoter, the TCR expression cassettes herein may contain additional elements that can enhance transgene expression, including the central polypurine tract (cPPT), which facilitates nuclear translocation of the lentiviral construct (Follenzi et al., 2000), and the woodchuck hepatitis virus post-transcriptional regulator (wPRE), which increases RNA stability and therefore enhances levels of transgene expression (Zufferey et al., 1999).

[0226] The α and β chains of the TCR of the present invention may be encoded by nucleic acids on separate vectors or may be encoded by polynucleotides on the same vector.

[0227] To achieve high levels of TCR surface expression, both the TCR-α and TCR-β chains of the introduced TCR need to be transcribed at high levels. To do this, the TCR-α and TCR-β chains herein may be cloned into a bicistronic construct in a single vector, which has been shown to overcome this obstacle. The use of a viral internal ribosome entry site between the TCR-α and TCR-β chains results in coordinated expression of both chains, since the TCR-α and TCR-β chains are generated from a single transcript that is split into two proteins during translation to ensure the generation of equimolar TCR-α and TCR-β chains (Schmitt et al. 2009).

[0228] The nucleic acids encoding the TCRs herein may be codon-optimized to increase expression from host cells. Redundancy in the genetic code allows some amino acids to be coded for by more than one codon, but certain codons are less "optimal" than others due to the relative availability of compatible tRNAs as well as other factors (Gustafsson et al., 2004). Modifying the TCR-α and TCR-β gene sequences so that each amino acid is coded for by the optimal codon for mammalian gene expression, as well as removing mRNA instability motifs or potential splice sites, has been shown to significantly enhance TCR-α and TCR-β gene expression (Scholten et al., 2006).

[0229] Furthermore, mispairing between the introduced and endogenous TCR chains can lead to the acquisition of specificity that poses significant autoimmune risks. For example, the formation of mixed TCR dimers may reduce the number of CD3 molecules available to form properly paired TCR complexes, thus significantly reducing the functional binding activity of cells expressing the introduced TCR (Kuball et al., 2007).

[0230] To reduce mispairing, the C-terminal regions of the introduced TCR chains herein may be modified to increase interchain affinity while decreasing the ability of the introduced chains to pair with endogenous TCRs. These strategies may include replacing the C-terminal regions of human TCR-α and TCR-β with their murine counterparts (murinized C-terminal regions); introducing a second cysteine ​​residue into both the TCR-α and TCR-β chains of the introduced TCR to generate a second interchain disulfide bond in the C-terminal regions (cysteine ​​modification); exchanging interacting residues within the TCR-α and TCR-β chain C-terminal regions ("knobs-in-holes"); and fusing the variable regions of the TCR-α and TCR-β chains directly to CD3ζ (CD3ζ fusion) (Schmitt et al. 2009).

[0231] In one embodiment, the host cell is genetically engineered to express the TCR of the present disclosure. In a preferred embodiment, the host cell is a human T cell or T cell precursor. In some embodiments, the T cell or T cell precursor is obtained from a cancer patient. In other embodiments, the T cell or T cell precursor is obtained from a healthy donor. The host cell herein can be allogeneic or autologous with respect to the patient being treated. In one embodiment, the host is a gamma / delta T cell transformed to express an alpha / beta TCR.

[0232] A "pharmaceutical composition" is a composition suitable for administration to humans in a medical context. Preferably, the pharmaceutical composition is sterile and manufactured in accordance with GMP guidelines.

[0233] The pharmaceutical composition comprises the peptide either in free form or in the form of a pharma- ceutically acceptable salt (see also above). As used herein, "pharmaceutically acceptable salt" refers to derivatives of the disclosed peptides, where the peptide is modified by forming an acid or base salt of the drug. For example, acid salts are prepared from the free base by reaction with a suitable acid (typically the neutral form of the drug has a neutral NH2 group). Suitable acids for preparing acid salts include both organic acids, such as, for example, acetic acid, propionic acid, glycolic acid, pyruvic acid, oxalic acid, malic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, mandelic acid, methanesulfonic acid, ethanesulfonic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid, salicylic acid, and inorganic acids, such as, for example, hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, and the like. Conversely, preparation of base salts of acidic moieties which may be present on the peptide are prepared using a pharma- ceutically acceptable base such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, trimethylamine, and the like.

[0234] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the pharmaceutical composition comprises the peptide as a salt of acetic acid (acetate), trifluoroacetic acid or hydrochloric acid (chloride).

[0235] Preferably, the agent of the present invention is an immunotherapeutic agent, such as a vaccine. It may be administered id, im, sc, ip, and iv directly to the patient, to the affected organ, or systemically, or applied ex vivo to cells derived from the patient or human cell lines, which are subsequently administered to the patient, or used ex vivo to select a subpopulation of immune cells derived from the patient, which are then readministered to the patient. When the nucleic acid is administered ex vivo to cells, it may be useful to transfect the cells to co-express an immune stimulating cytokine, such as interleukin 2. The peptide may be substantially pure, or combined with an immune stimulating adjuvant (see below), or used in combination with an immunostimulating cytokine, or administered by a suitable delivery system, such as, for example, liposomes. The peptide may also be conjugated to a suitable carrier, such as keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) or mannan (see WO 95 / 18145 and (Longenecker et al., 1993)). The peptide may also be labeled, may be a fusion protein, or may be a hybrid molecule. The peptides whose sequences are described in the present invention are predicted to stimulate CD4 or CD8 T cells. However, the stimulation of CD8 T cells is more efficient in the presence of the help provided by CD4 T helper cells. Thus, for MHC class I epitopes that stimulate CD8 T cells, the fusion partner or section of the hybrid molecule appropriately provides an epitope that stimulates CD4 positive T cells. CD4 and CD8 stimulating epitopes are well known in the art and include those identified in the present invention.

[0236] In one embodiment, the vaccine comprises at least one peptide having an amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48 and at least one additional peptide, preferably 2 to 50, more preferably 2 to 25, even more preferably 2 to 20, most preferably 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 or 18 peptides. The peptides may be derived from one or more specific TAAs and may bind to MHC class I molecules.

[0237] A further aspect of the invention provides nucleic acids (e.g. polynucleotides) encoding the peptides or peptide variants of the invention. The polynucleotide may be, for example, either single-stranded and / or double-stranded DNA, cDNA, PNA, RNA or a combination thereof, or may be a native or stabilized form of polynucleotide, such as a polynucleotide with a phosphorothioate backbone, which may or may not contain introns, so long as it encodes the peptide. Of course, only peptides containing natural amino acid residues linked by naturally occurring peptide bonds can be encoded by the polynucleotide. A still further aspect of the invention provides expression vectors capable of expressing the polypeptides according to the invention.

[0238] A variety of methods have been developed to link polynucleotides, particularly DNA, to vectors, for example, via complementary cohesive ends. For example, a complementary homopolymer sequence can be added to the DNA fragment to be inserted into the vector DNA. The vector and DNA fragment are then linked by hydrogen bonding between the complementary homopolymer tails to form a recombinant DNA molecule.

[0239] Synthetic linkers containing one or more restriction enzyme recognition sites provide an alternative method of joining DNA fragments to vectors. Synthetic linkers containing a variety of restriction endonuclease sites are commercially available from several sources, including International Biotechnologies Inc. New Haven, CN, USA.

[0240] A desirable method for modifying the DNA encoding the polypeptide of the present invention is to use the polymerase chain reaction as disclosed in Saiki RK, et al. (Saiki et al., 1988). This method may be used to introduce the DNA into a suitable vector, for example by modifying an appropriate restriction enzyme recognition site, or it may be used to modify the DNA in other useful ways known in the art. If a viral vector is used, a poxvirus or adenovirus vector is preferred.

[0241] The DNA (or RNA in the case of retroviral vectors) may then be expressed in a suitable host to produce a polypeptide comprising the peptide or variant of the invention. Thus, according to known techniques, appropriately modified in view of the teachings contained herein, the DNA encoding the peptide or variant of the invention may be used to construct an expression vector, which is then used to transform a suitable host cell for the expression and production of the polypeptide of the invention. Such techniques include, for example, those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,440,859, 4,530,901, 4,582,800, 4,677,063, 4,678,751, 4,704,362, 4,710,463, 4,757,006, 4,766,075, and 4,810,648.

[0242] The DNA (or in the case of retroviral vectors, RNA) encoding the polypeptide constituting the compound of the invention may be joined to a wide variety of other DNA sequences for introduction into an appropriate host. The companion DNA will depend on the nature of the host, the manner of the introduction of the DNA into the host, and whether episomal maintenance or integration is desired.

[0243] Generally, DNA is inserted into an expression vector such as a plasmid in the proper direction and correct reading frame for expression. If necessary, DNA may be linked to the appropriate transcriptional and translational regulatory control nucleotide sequences recognized by the desired host, such controls are generally available in the expression vector. The vector is then introduced into the host through standard techniques. Generally, not all hosts are transformed by the vector. Therefore, it becomes necessary to select transformed host cells. One selection technique involves incorporating into the expression vector a DNA sequence with any necessary control elements that code for a selectable trait in transformed cells, such as antibiotic resistance.

[0244] Alternatively, the gene for such selectable trait can be on another vector, which is used to cotransform the desired host cell.

[0245] Host cells transformed with the recombinant DNA of the present invention can then be cultured under appropriate conditions known to those of skill in the art for a sufficient period of time to allow for expression of the polypeptide, which can then be recovered, given the teachings disclosed herein.

[0246] Numerous expression systems are known, including bacteria (e.g., E. coli and Bacillus subtilis), yeast (e.g., Saccharomyces cerevisiae), filamentous fungi (e.g., Aspergillus), plant cells, animal cells, and insect cells. Preferably, the expression system may be mammalian cells, such as CHO cells, available from the ATCC Cell Biology Collection.

[0247] A typical mammalian cell vector plasmid for constitutive expression comprises a CMV or SV40 promoter with an appropriate polyA tail and a resistance marker such as neomycin. An example is pSVL available from Pharmacia, Piscataway, NJ, USA. An example of an inducible mammalian expression vector, pMSG, is also available from Pharmacia. Useful yeast plasmid vectors are pRS403-406 and pRS413-416, typically available from Stratagene Cloning Systems, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. Plasmids pRS403, pRS404, pRS405, and pRS406 are Yeast Integrating Plasmids (YIps) and incorporate the yeast selectable markers HIS3, TRP1, LEU2, and URA3. Plasmid pRS413-416 is a Yeast Centromeric Plasmid (Ycps). CMV promoter-based vectors (e.g., from Sigma-Aldrich) provide transient or stable expression, cytoplasmic expression or secretion, and N- or C-terminal tagging with various combinations of FRAG, 3xFLAG, c-myc, or MAT. These fusion proteins allow recombinant proteins to be detected, purified, and analyzed. Dual-label fusions offer versatility in detection.

[0248] The strong human cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter regulatory region drives constitutive protein expression levels as high as 1 mg / L in COS cells. In less potent cell lines, protein levels are typically around 0.1 mg / L. The presence of the SV40 origin of replication results in high levels of DNA replication in SV40 replication-permissive COS cells. CMV vectors can contain, for example, the pMB1 (a derivative of pBR322) origin of replication in bacterial cells, the b-lactamase gene for ampicillin resistance selection in bacteria, hGH polyA, and the f1 origin. Vectors containing a preprotrypsin leader (PPT) sequence can direct FRAG fusion protein secretion into the culture medium for purification using anti-FRAG antibodies, resins, and plates. Other vectors and expression systems for use in a variety of host cells are well known in the art.

[0249] In another embodiment, two or more peptides or peptide variants of the invention are encoded and thus expressed sequentially (similar to a "beads and beads" construct), whereby the peptides or peptide variants may be linked or fused together by a stretch of linker amino acids, such as LLLLLL, or may be linked without any additional peptide between them. These constructs may also be used for cancer therapy and may induce immune responses involving both MHC I and MHC II.

[0250] The present invention also relates to host cells transformed with the polynucleotide vector constructs of the present invention. Host cells can be either prokaryotic or eukaryotic. Bacterial cells may be the preferred prokaryotic host cells in some circumstances, typically E. coli strains such as, for example, E. coli DH5 available from Bethesda Research Laboratories Inc., Bethesda, MD, USA, and RR1 (ATCC No. 31343) available from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), Rockville, MD, USA. Preferred eukaryotic host cells include yeast, insect, and mammalian cells, preferably vertebrate cells such as those derived from mouse, rat, monkey, or human fibroblast and colon cell lines. Yeast host cells include YPH499, YPH500, and YPH501, commonly available from Stratagene Cloning Systems, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. Preferred mammalian host cells include Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells available from ATCC as CCL61, NIH Swiss mouse embryo cells NIH / 3T3 available from ATCC as CRL1658, monkey kidney derived COS-1 cells available from ATCC as CRL1650, and human fetal kidney cells 293 cells. Preferred insect cells are Sf9 cells which can be transfected with baculovirus expression vectors. Reviews on the selection of suitable host cells for expression can be found, for example, in the textbook "Methods in Molecular Biology Recombinant Gene Expression, Reviews and Protocols," Part One, Second Edition, ISBN 978-1-58829-262-9 by Paulina Balbas and Argelia Lorence and other references known to those skilled in the art.

[0251] Transformation of suitable cell hosts with the DNA constructs of the present invention is accomplished by well-known methods that typically depend on the type of vector used. For transformation of prokaryotic host cells, see, for example, Cohen et al. (Cohen et al., 1972) and (Green and Sambrook, 2012). Transformation of yeast cells is described in Sherman et al. (Sherman et al., 1986). The method of Beggs (Beggs, 1978) is also useful. For vertebrate cells, reagents useful for transfecting such cells, such as, for example, calcium phosphate and DEAE-dextran or liposome formulations, are available from Stratagene Cloning Systems, or Life Technologies Inc., Gaithersburg, MD 20877, USA. Electroporation is also useful for transforming and / or transfecting cells and is well known in the art for transforming yeast cells, bacterial cells, insect cells, and vertebrate cells.

[0252] Successfully transformed cells, i.e., cells containing the DNA construct of the present invention, can be identified by well-known techniques such as PCR. Alternatively, antibodies can be used to detect the presence of proteins in the supernatant.

[0253] It will be appreciated that certain host cells of the invention, such as, for example, bacteria, yeast, and insect cells, are useful in preparing the peptides of the invention. However, other host cells may be useful in certain therapeutic methods. For example, antigen-presenting cells, such as dendritic cells, may be usefully used to express the peptides of the invention so that they may be loaded into the appropriate MHC molecules. Thus, the invention provides a host cell comprising a nucleic acid or expression vector according to the invention.

[0254] In a preferred embodiment, the host cell is an antigen-presenting cell, particularly a dendritic cell or an antigen-presenting cell.The APC loaded with recombinant fusion protein containing prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 20, 2010 to treat asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic HRPC (Sipuleucel-T) (Rini et al., 2006; Small et al., 2006).

[0255] A further aspect of the invention provides a method for producing a peptide or a variant thereof comprising the steps of culturing a host cell and isolating the peptide from the host cell or its culture medium.

[0256] In another embodiment, the peptide, nucleic acid or expression vector of the present invention is used in medicine. For example, the peptide or its variants may be formulated for intravenous (iv), subcutaneous (sc), intradermal (id), intraperitoneal (ip), or intramuscular (im) injection. Preferred methods of peptide injection include sc, id, ip, im, and iv. Preferred methods of DNA injection include id, im, sc, ip, and iv. For example, a dose of 50 μg to 1.5 mg, preferably 125 μg to 500 μg of peptide or DNA may be administered, depending on the respective peptide or DNA. Doses in this range have been used successfully in previous clinical trials (Walter et al., 2012).

[0257] The polynucleotides used for active vaccination may be substantially pure or may be contained in a suitable vector or delivery system. The nucleic acid may be DNA, cDNA, PNA, RNA or a combination thereof. Methods for designing and introducing such nucleic acids are well known in the art. A review is provided, for example, by Teufel et al. (Teufel et al., 2005). Although polynucleotide vaccines are easy to prepare, the mechanism of action of these vectors in inducing an immune response is not completely understood. Suitable vectors and delivery systems include viral DNA and / or RNA, such as adenovirus, vaccinia virus, retrovirus, herpes virus, adeno-associated virus, or hybrid-based systems containing components of two or more viruses. Non-viral delivery systems include cationic lipids and cationic polymers and are well known in the DNA delivery art. Physical delivery, such as through a "gene gun", may also be used. The peptide or peptides encoded by the nucleic acid may be a fusion protein with an epitope that stimulates T cells of the respective inverse CDR, for example, as described above.

[0258] The medicament of the present invention may also include one or more adjuvants. Adjuvants are substances that non-specifically promote or enhance immune responses (e.g., immune responses to antigens mediated by CD8 positive T cells and helper T (TH) cells) and are therefore considered useful in the medicament of the present invention. Suitable adjuvants include 1018 ISS, aluminum salts, AMPLIVAX®, AS15, BCG, CP-870,893, CpG7909, CyaA, dSLIM, flagellin or flagellin-derived TLR5 ligand, FLT3 ligand, GM-CSF, IC30, IC31, imiquimod (ALDARA®), resiquimod, ImuFact IMP321, interleukins such as IL-2, L-13 and IL-21, interferon-α or -β or their PEGylated derivatives, IS patch, ISS, ISCOMATRIX, ISCOM, JuvImmune®, LipoVac, MALP2, MF59, monophosphoryl lipid A, Montanide IMS1312, Montanide ISA206, Montanide ISA50V, Montanide ISA-51, water in oil and and oil-in-water emulsions, OK-432, OM-174, OM-197-MP-EC, ONTAK, OspA, PepTel® vector system, poly(lactide-co-glycolide) [PLG]-based and dextran microparticles, talactoferrin SRL172, virosomes and other virus-like particles, YF-17D, VEGF trap, R848, β-glucan, Pam3Cys, Aquila's QS21 stimulon derived from saponin, mycobacterial extracts and synthetic bacterial cell wall mimics, and other proprietary adjuvants such as Ribi's Detox or Quil or Superfos. Adjuvants such as Freund's or GM-CSF are preferred. Several immunological adjuvants (e.g. MF59) specific for dendritic cells and their preparations have been previously described (Allison and Krummel, 1995). Cytokines may also be used.Several cytokines have been directly implicated in influencing the migration of dendritic cells into lymphoid tissues (e.g., TNF-), accelerating the maturation of dendritic cells into efficient antigen-presenting cells for T lymphocytes (e.g., GM-CSF, IL-1, and IL-4) (U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,589, the entire contents of which are specifically incorporated by reference herein), and acting as immune enhancers (e.g., IL-12, IL-15, IL-23, IL-7, IFN-α, IFN-β) (Gabrilovich et al., 1996).

[0259] CpG immunostimulatory oligonucleotides have also been reported to enhance adjuvant effects in a vaccine environment. Without being bound by theory, CpG oligonucleotides act by activating the innate (non-adaptive) immune system through Toll-like receptors (TLRs), primarily TLR9. CpG-induced TLR9 activation enhances antigen-specific humoral and cellular responses to a wide variety of antigens, including peptide or protein antigens, live or killed viruses, dendritic cell vaccines, autologous cell vaccines, and polysaccharide conjugates in both prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines. More importantly, it enhances dendritic cell maturation and differentiation, leading to enhanced activation of TH1 cells and potent cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) generation, even in the absence of CD4 T cell help. The TH1 bias induced by TLR9 stimulation is maintained even in the presence of vaccine adjuvants such as alum or incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA), which normally promote a TH2 bias. CpG oligonucleotides, when formulated or co-administered with other adjuvants, or in formulations such as microparticles, nanoparticles, lipid emulsions, or similar formulations, still show higher adjuvant activity, which is especially necessary to induce a strong response when the antigen is relatively weak. They also accelerate immune responses, and in some experiments allow for a reduction of antigen dose by almost two orders of magnitude with an antibody response equivalent to the total vaccine dose without CpG (Krieg, 2006). US Patent No. 6,406,705 B1 describes the combination of CpG oligonucleotides, non-nucleic acid adjuvants, and antigens to induce antigen-specific immune responses. The CpG TLR9 antagonist is dSLIM (double stem loop immunomodulator) from Mologen (Berlin, Germany), which is a preferred component of the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention. Other TLR binding molecules, such as RNA-binding TLR7, TLR8, and / or TLR9, may also be used.

[0260] Other examples of useful adjuvants include chemically modified CpG (e.g., CpR, Idera); dsRNA analogs such as poly(I:C) and their derivatives (e.g., AmpliGen®, Hiltonol®, poly(ICLC), poly(IC-R), poly(I:C12U), non-CpG bacterial DNA or RNA; and cyclophosphamide, sunitinib, bevacizumab®, Celebrex, NCX-4016, sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil, sorafenib, temozolomide, temsirolimus, XL-999, CP-547632, pazopanib, VEGF Immunoactive small molecules and antibodies, such as Trap, ZD2171, AZD2171, anti-CTLA4; other antibodies targeting key structures of the immune system (e.g., anti-CD40, anti-TGFβ, anti-TNFα receptor); SC58175, which may act therapeutically and / or as adjuvants. The amounts and concentrations of adjuvants and additives useful in the context of the present invention can be readily determined by one of skill in the art without undue experimentation.

[0261] Preferred adjuvants are anti-CD40, imiquimod, resiquimod, GM-CSF, cyclophosphamide, sunitinib, bevacizumab, interferon alpha, CpG oligonucleotides and derivatives, poly(I:C) and derivatives, RNA, sildenafil, and PLG or virosome microparticle formulations.

[0262] In a preferred embodiment of the pharmaceutical composition according to the invention, the adjuvant is selected from the group consisting of colony stimulating factors such as granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF, sargramostim), cyclophosphamide, imiquimod, resiquimod, and interferon alpha.

[0263] In a preferred embodiment of the pharmaceutical composition according to the invention, the adjuvant is selected from the group consisting of colony stimulating factors such as granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF, sargramostim), cyclophosphamide, imiquimod, and resiquimod. In a preferred embodiment of the pharmaceutical composition according to the invention, the adjuvant is cyclophosphamide, imiquimod or resiquimod. Even more preferred adjuvants are Montanide IMS 1312, Montanide ISA 20, Montanide ISA 50V, Montanide ISA-51, poly-ICLC (Hiltonol®), and anti-CD40mAB or combinations thereof.

[0264] The composition is used for parenteral administration, such as subcutaneous, intradermal, intramuscular, or oral administration. For this purpose, the peptide and optionally other molecules are dissolved or suspended in a pharma- ceutically acceptable, preferably aqueous, carrier. The composition may further contain excipients, such as buffers, binding agents, blasting agents, diluents, flavors, lubricants, etc. The peptide may also be administered together with immune stimulants, such as cytokines. A detailed list of excipients that may be used in such compositions may be taken, for example, from A. Kibbe, Handbook of Pharmaceutical Excipients (Kibbe, 2000). The composition may be used for the prevention, prophylaxis and / or treatment of adenomatous or cancerous diseases. Exemplary formulations are, for example, in EP 2112253.

[0265] It is important to understand that the immune response induced by the vaccine according to the invention attacks cancers at different cell division stages and different developmental stages. Moreover, different cancer-associated signaling pathways are attacked. This is an advantage over vaccines that may only address one or a few targets, leading to easy adaptation of the tumor to the attack (tumor escape). Moreover, not all individual tumors express the same pattern of antigens. Thus, the combination of several tumor-associated peptides ensures that each and every tumor has at least some of the targets. The composition is designed with the expectation that each tumor expresses some of the antigens, covering several independent pathways necessary for tumor growth and maintenance. Thus, the vaccine can be easily used "off the shelf" for a larger patient population. This means that the pre-selection of patients to be treated with the vaccine can be limited to HLA typing and does not require any additional biomarker assessment of antigen expression, but still ensures that several targets are simultaneously attacked by the induced immune response, which is important for efficacy (Banchereau et al., 2001; Walter et al., 2012).

[0266] As used herein, the term "scaffold" refers to a molecule that specifically binds to a (e.g., antigenic) determinant. In one embodiment, the scaffold can also guide the entity to which it is attached (e.g., a (second) antigen-binding moiety) to a type target site, such as, for example, a specific tumor cell or tumor stroma bearing an antigenic determinant (e.g., a peptide-MHC complex as described herein). In another embodiment, the scaffold can activate signaling through its target antigen, such as, for example, a T cell receptor complex antigen. Scaffolds include, but are not limited to, antibodies and fragments thereof, antibody antigen-binding domains comprising an antibody heavy chain variable region and an antibody light chain variable region, binding proteins comprising at least one ankyrin repeat motif and a single domain antigen-binding (SDAB) molecule, aptamers, (soluble) TCRs, and (modified) cells such as allogeneic or autologous T cells. To assess whether a molecule is a scaffold that binds to a target, a binding assay can be performed.

[0267] "Specific" binding means that the scaffold binds to the peptide-MHC-complex of interest better than other natural peptide-MHC-complexes, so that the scaffold equipped with an active molecule capable of killing cells bearing a specific target cannot kill other cells that do not have a specific target but present other peptide-MHC complexes. If the peptide of the cross-reactive peptide-MHC is not naturally occurring, i.e., does not originate from the human HLA-peptidome, binding to other peptide-MHC complexes is irrelevant. Tests to evaluate target cell killing are well known in the art. They should be performed using target cells (primary cells or cell lines) with unmodified peptide-MHC presentation, or cells loaded with peptide to reach naturally occurring peptide-MHC levels.

[0268] Each scaffold may comprise a label, which provides that the binding scaffold may be detected by determining the presence or absence of the signal provided by the label. For example, the scaffold may be labeled with a fluorescent dye or any other applicable cell marker molecule. Such marker molecules are well known in the art. For example, the fluorescent label provided by a fluorescent dye may provide visualization of the bound aptamer by fluorescence or laser scanning microscopy or flow cytometry.

[0269] Each scaffold can be conjugated to a second active molecule, such as, for example, IL-21, anti-CD3, anti-CD28, etc.

[0270] For further information regarding polypeptide scaffolds, see, e.g., the Background section of WO 2014 / 071978 A1 and the references cited therein.

[0271] The present invention further relates to aptamers.Aptamers (see, for example, WO 2014 / 191359 and the references cited therein) are short single-stranded nucleic acid molecules that can fold into a predetermined three-dimensional structure and recognize specific target structures.They have appeared to be a suitable alternative for developing targeted therapy.Aptamers have been shown to selectively bind to a variety of complex targets with high affinity and specificity.

[0272] Aptamers that recognize molecules located on the cell surface have been identified within the past decade, providing a means to develop diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Aptamers have been shown to be nearly free of toxicity and immunogenicity, making them promising candidates for biomedical applications. Indeed, aptamers, such as the prostate-specific membrane antigen-recognizing aptamer, have been successfully used for targeted therapy and have been shown to function in xenograft in vivo models. Furthermore, aptamers that recognize specific tumor cell lines have been identified.

[0273] DNA aptamers can be selected to exhibit broad-spectrum recognition properties against various cancer cells, especially those derived from solid tumors, while not recognizing non-tumorigenic and primary healthy cells. If an identified aptamer not only recognizes a specific tumor subtype, but rather interacts with a range of tumors, this makes the aptamer applicable as a so-called broad-spectrum diagnostic and therapeutic agent.

[0274] Furthermore, investigation of the cell binding behavior by flow cytometry showed that the aptamer displayed very good apparent affinity in the nanomolar range.

[0275] Aptamers are useful for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Furthermore, it has been shown that some aptamers are taken up by tumor cells and thus can function as molecular vehicles for targeted delivery of anticancer drugs, such as siRNA, into tumor cells.

[0276] Aptamers can be selected using cell SELEX (enriched evolution by in vitro sequencing) technology against complex targets such as cells and tissues, and against peptide complexes comprising, and preferably consisting of, any of the sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48 according to the present invention and an MHC molecule.

[0277] Using the peptides of the present invention, specific antibodies against MHC / peptide complexes can be generated and developed. These can be used for therapeutics to target toxins or radioactive materials to diseased tissues. Another use of these antibodies can be to target radionuclides to diseased tissues for imaging purposes such as PET. This use can help detect small metastases or determine the size and precise localization of diseased tissues.

[0278] It is therefore a further aspect of the present invention to provide a method for producing a recombinant antibody that specifically binds to human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I or II complexed with an HLA-restricted antigen, the method comprising the steps of: immunizing a genetically engineered non-human mammal comprising cells expressing said human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I or II with a soluble form of an MHC class I or II molecule complexed with said HLA-restricted antigen; isolating mRNA molecules from antibody-producing cells of said non-human mammal; producing a phage display library displaying protein molecules encoded by said mRNA molecules; and isolating at least one phage from said phage display library, said at least one phage displaying said antibody that specifically binds to said human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I or II complexed with said HLA-restricted antigen.

[0279] It is a further aspect of the invention to provide an antibody that specifically binds to human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I or II complexed with an HLA-restricted antigen, wherein the antibody is preferably a polyclonal, monoclonal, bispecific and / or chimeric antibody.

[0280] Respective methods for producing such antibodies and single-chain class I major histocompatibility complexes, as well as other tools for producing these antibodies, are disclosed in WO 03 / 068201, WO 2004 / 084798, WO 01 / 72768, WO 03 / 070752, and in the literature (Cohen et al., 2003a; Cohen et al., 2003b; Denkberg et al., 2003), the contents of which are all expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety for the purposes of the present invention.

[0281] Preferably, the antibody binds to the complex with a binding affinity of less than 20 nanomolar, preferably less than 10 nanomolar, which is also considered "specific" in the context of the present invention.

[0282] The present invention relates to a peptide comprising a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48, or a variant thereof that is at least 88% homologous (preferably identical) to SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48, or a variant thereof that cross-reacts with T cells with said peptide, wherein said peptide is not the underlying full-length polypeptide.

[0283] The present invention further relates to a peptide comprising a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48, or a variant thereof that is at least 88% homologous (preferably identical) to SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48, said peptide or variant having an overall length of 8 to 100, preferably 8 to 30, most preferably 8 to 14 amino acids.

[0284] The present invention further relates to a peptide according to the invention having the ability to bind to a molecule of the human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I or II.

[0285] The present invention further relates to a peptide according to the invention, wherein the peptide consists or essentially consists of the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48.

[0286] The present invention further relates to a peptide according to the invention, wherein the peptide is (chemically) modified and / or comprises non-peptide bonds.

[0287] The present invention further relates to a peptide according to the invention, which is part of a fusion protein, in particular comprising the N-terminal amino acids of the HLA-DR antigen-associated invariant chain (Ii), or which is fused to (or into) an antibody, e.g. a dendritic cell-specific antibody.

[0288] The present invention further relates to a nucleic acid encoding a peptide according to the invention, with the proviso that the peptide is not the complete (full-length) human protein.

[0289] The present invention further relates to a nucleic acid according to the invention which is DNA, cDNA, PNA, RNA or a combination thereof.

[0290] The present invention further relates to an expression vector capable of expressing a nucleic acid according to the invention.

[0291] The present invention further relates to a peptide according to the invention, a nucleic acid according to the invention or an expression vector according to the invention for use in medicine, in particular in the treatment of prostate cancer.

[0292] The present invention further relates to a host cell comprising a nucleic acid according to the invention or an expression vector according to the invention.

[0293] The present invention further relates to a host cell according to the invention which is an antigen-presenting cell, preferably a dendritic cell.

[0294] The present invention further relates to a method for producing a peptide according to the invention, comprising the steps of culturing a host cell according to the invention and isolating the peptide from the host cell or its culture medium.

[0295] The invention further relates to a method according to the invention, wherein a sufficient amount of antigen is contacted with an antigen-presenting cell, thereby loading the antigen onto class I or II MHC molecules expressed on the surface of a suitable antigen-presenting cell.

[0296] The present invention further relates to a method according to the present invention, wherein the antigen-presenting cell comprises an expression vector capable of expressing the peptide containing any of SEQ ID NOs: 1 to 48 or the heterologous amino acid sequence.

[0297] The present invention further relates to activated T cells produced by the method according to the invention, said T cells selectively recognizing cells which aberrantly express a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence according to the invention.

[0298] The present invention further relates to a method of killing target cells in a patient which aberrantly express a polypeptide comprising any amino acid sequence according to the present invention, comprising the step of administering to the patient an effective number of T cells according to the present invention.

[0299] The present invention further relates to the use of any of the described peptides, the nucleic acids according to the invention, the expression vectors according to the invention, the cells according to the invention or the activated cytotoxic T lymphocytes according to the invention as a medicament or in the manufacture of a medicament. The present invention further relates to the use according to the invention, wherein the medicament is effective against cancer.

[0300] The present invention further relates to a use according to the present invention, wherein the medicament is a vaccine.The present invention further relates to a use according to the present invention, wherein the medicament is effective against cancer.

[0301] The present invention further relates to the use according to the invention, wherein said cancer cells are preferably prostate cancer cells or other solid or hematological tumour cells such as lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, melanoma, liver cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, gallbladder cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, CRC, bladder cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, kidney cancer, leukemia (e.g. AML or CLL), ovarian cancer, esophageal cancer, brain cancer and gastric (stomach) cancer, most preferably prostate cancer cells.

[0302] The present invention further relates to specific peptide-based labeled proteins and biomarkers according to the present invention, referred to herein as "targets", which can be used in the diagnosis and / or prognosis of prostate cancer. The present invention also relates to the use of these novel targets for cancer therapy.

[0303] The term "antibody" or "antibodies" is used broadly herein and includes both polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. In addition to intact or "intact" immunoglobulin molecules, the term "antibody" also includes fragments (e.g., CDR, Fv, Fab, and Fc fragments) or polymers of these immunoglobulin molecules and humanized versions of immunoglobulin molecules, so long as they exhibit any of the desired properties according to the invention (e.g., specific binding of a prostate cancer marker (poly)peptide, delivery of a toxin to prostate cancer cells expressing increased levels of a cancer marker gene, and / or inhibiting the activity of a prostate cancer marker polypeptide).

[0304] Whenever possible, the antibody of the present invention may be purchased from commercial sources.The antibody of the present invention may also be produced using well-known methods.Those skilled in the art will understand that either full-length prostate cancer marker polypeptide or its fragment may be used to produce the antibody of the present invention.The polypeptide used to produce the antibody of the present invention may be partially or completely purified from natural sources, or may be produced using recombinant DNA technology.

[0305] For example, cDNA encoding a peptide according to the present invention, such as the peptides set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48 polypeptides; or variants or fragments thereof, can be expressed in prokaryotic cells (e.g., bacteria) or eukaryotic cells (e.g., yeast, insect, or mammalian cells), and the recombinant protein can then be purified and used to generate monoclonal or polyclonal antibody preparations that specifically bind to prostate cancer marker polypeptides, which are used to generate antibodies according to the present invention.

[0306] Those skilled in the art will understand that the generation of two or more distinct sets of monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies maximizes the chances of obtaining antibodies with the specificity and affinity required for their intended use (e.g., ELISA, immunohistochemistry, in vivo imaging, immunotoxin therapy). Antibodies are tested for their desired activity by known methods according to the purpose for which they will be used (e.g., ELISA, immunohistochemistry, immunotherapy, etc.; see, for further guidance on antibody generation and testing, for example, Greenfield, 2014 (Greenfield, 2014). For example, antibodies may be tested in ELISA assays, Western blots, immunohistochemical staining of formalin-fixed cancer or frozen tissue sections. After their initial in vitro characterization, antibodies intended for therapeutic or in vivo diagnostic use are tested by known clinical testing methods.

[0307] The term "monoclonal antibody", as used herein, refers to an antibody obtained from a substantially homogeneous antibody population; i.e., the individual antibodies constituting the population are identical except for possible naturally occurring mutations that may be present in minor amounts. As used herein, "monoclonal antibody" specifically includes "chimeric" antibodies in which a portion of the heavy and / or light chain is identical or homologous to corresponding sequences in antibodies derived from a particular species or belonging to a particular antibody class or subclass, while the remainder of the chain is identical or homologous to corresponding sequences in antibodies derived from another species or belonging to another antibody class or subclass, as well as fragments of such antibodies, so long as they exhibit the desired antagonistic activity (U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference).

[0308] Monoclonal antibodies of the invention may be prepared using the hybridoma method, in which a mouse or other suitable host animal is typically immunized with an immunizing agent to give rise to lymphocytes that produce, or are capable of producing, antibodies that specifically bind to the immunizing agent. Alternatively, lymphocytes may be immunized in vitro.

[0309] The monoclonal antibodies may also be made by recombinant DNA methods, such as those described in U.S. Patent No. 4,816,567. DNA encoding the monoclonal antibodies of the invention can be readily isolated and sequenced using conventional procedures (e.g., by using oligonucleotide probes capable of binding specifically to genes encoding the heavy and light chains of murine antibodies).

[0310] In vitro methods are also suitable for preparing monovalent antibodies. Digestion of antibodies to generate antibody fragments, particularly Fab fragments, can be accomplished using conventional techniques known in the art. For example, digestion can be performed using papain. Examples of papain digestion are described in WO 94 / 29348 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,566. Papain digestion of antibodies typically produces two identical antigen-binding fragments, called Fab fragments, each of which has a single antigen-binding site, and a remaining Fc fragment. Pepsin treatment results in F(ab')2 fragments and pFc' fragments.

[0311] Antibody fragments may also contain insertions, deletions, substitutions, or other selected modifications of specific regions or specific amino acid residues, whether attached to other sequences or not, provided that the activity of the fragment is not significantly altered or impaired compared to the unmodified antibody or antibody fragment. These modifications may provide some additional properties, such as removing / adding amino acids capable of disulfide bonding, increasing its biological lifespan, altering its secretion properties, etc. In any case, the antibody fragment must have bioactive properties, such as binding activity, binding modulation in the binding region, etc. Functional or active regions of the antibody may be identified by mutagenesis of specific regions of the protein, followed by expression and testing of the expressed polypeptide. Such methods are readily apparent to a skilled practitioner in the art and may include site-specific mutagenesis of the nucleic acid encoding the antibody fragment.

[0312] The antibodies of the present invention may further comprise humanized or human antibodies. Humanized forms, such as non-human (e.g. murine) antibodies, are chimeric immunoglobulins, immunoglobulin chains or fragments thereof (such as Fv, Fab, Fab' or other antigen-binding subsequences of antibodies) that contain minimal sequence derived from non-human immunoglobulin. Humanized antibodies include human immunoglobulins (recipient antibody) in which residues from a complementarity determining region (CDR) of the recipient are replaced by residues from a CDR of a non-human species (donor antibody), such as mouse, rat or rabbit, having the desired specificity, affinity, and capacity. In some cases, Fv framework (FR) residues of the human immunoglobulin are replaced by corresponding non-human residues. Humanized antibodies may also comprise residues that are found neither in the recipient antibody nor in the imported CDR or framework sequences. Generally, a humanized antibody will comprise substantially all of at least one, and typically two, variable regions, in which all or substantially all of the CDR regions correspond to those of a non-human immunoglobulin and all or substantially all of the FR regions are of a human immunoglobulin consensus sequence. The humanized antibody optimally also comprises at least a portion of an immunoglobulin constant region (Fc), typically a human immunoglobulin constant region.

[0313] Methods for humanizing non-human antibodies are well known in the art. Usually, a humanized antibody has one or more amino acid residues introduced from a non-human source. These non-human amino acid residues are often referred to as "import" residues, which are typically obtained from an "import" variable region. Humanization can essentially be performed by replacing rodent CDR(s) or CDR(s) sequences with corresponding human antibody sequences. Such "humanized" antibodies are thus chimeric antibodies (U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567) in which substantially less than an intact human variable region is replaced by the corresponding sequence from a non-human species. In practice, humanized antibodies are typically human antibodies in which some CDR residues and possibly some FR residues are replaced by residues from analogous sites in rodent antibodies.

[0314] Upon immunization, transgenic animals (e.g., mice) can be used that are capable of producing a full repertoire of human antibodies in the absence of endogenous immunoglobulin production. For example, it has been described that homozygous deletion of antibody heavy chain joining region genes in chimeric and germline mutant mice results in complete inhibition of endogenous antibody production. Transfer of the human germline immunoglobulin gene array in such germline mutant mice results in the production of human antibodies upon antigen challenge. Human antibodies can also be produced in phage display libraries.

[0315] The antibody of the present invention is preferably administered to a subject in a pharma- ceutically acceptable carrier. Typically, an appropriate amount of a pharmacologically acceptable salt is used in the formulation to make the formulation isotonic. Examples of pharmacologically acceptable carriers include physiological saline, Ringer's solution, and dextrose solution. The pH of the solution is preferably about 5 to about 8, more preferably about 7 to about 7.5. Further carriers include sustained release formulations of semipermeable matrices of solid hydrophobic polymers containing the antibody, the matrices being in the form of shaped articles, such as films, liposomes, or microparticles. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that certain carriers may be more preferable depending, for example, on the route of administration and the concentration of the antibody to be administered.

[0316] The antibody may be administered to a subject, patient, or cell by injection (e.g., intravenous, intraperitoneal, subcutaneous, intramuscular) or other methods such as infusion that ensure delivery to the bloodstream in its effective form. The antibody may also be administered by intratumoral or peritumoral routes to exert local as well as systemic therapeutic effects. Local or intravenous injection is preferred.

[0317] Effective dosages and schedules for administering the antibody may be determined empirically, and making such determinations is within the skill of the art. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the antibody dose that must be administered will vary depending, for example, on the subject receiving the antibody, the route of administration, the particular antibody type used, and other agents administered. A typical daily dose of an antibody used alone may range from about 1 μg / kg up to 100 mg / kg body weight or more per day, depending on the factors mentioned above. Following antibody administration, preferably to treat prostate cancer, the efficacy of the therapeutic antibody may be assessed in a variety of ways well known to the skilled practitioner. For example, standard tumor imaging techniques may be used to monitor the size, number, and / or distribution of cancer in the treated subject. A therapeutically administered antibody that halts tumor growth, causes tumor shrinkage, and / or prevents the development of new tumors compared to the disease course that would occur in the absence of antibody administration is an effective antibody for treating prostate cancer.

[0318] It is also a further aspect of the present invention to provide a method for producing soluble T cell receptors (sTCRs) that recognize specific peptide-MHC complexes. Such soluble T cell receptors can be generated from specific T cell clones and their affinity can be increased by targeted mutagenesis of complementarity determining regions. For the purpose of selecting T cell receptors, phage display can be used (US 2010 / 0113300, (Liddy et al., 2012)). For the purpose of stabilizing T cell receptors during phage display and in pharmaceutical applications, the α and β chains can be linked, for example, by non-natural disulfide bonds, other covalent bonds (single-chain T cell receptors), or dimerization domains (Boulter et al., 2003; Card et al., 2004; Willcox et al., 1999). T cell receptors can be linked to toxins, drugs, cytokines (see, for example, US 2013 / 0115191), effector cell recruiting domains such as anti-CD3 domains, etc., to exert specific functions on target cells. Furthermore, it can be expressed in T cells used for adoptive transfer. Further information can be found in WO 2004 / 033685 A1 and WO 2004 / 074322 A1. TCR combinations are described in WO 2012 / 056407 A1. Further manufacturing methods are disclosed in WO 2013 / 057586 A1.

[0319] Additionally, the peptides and / or TCRs or antibodies or other binding molecules of the present invention may be used to confirm a pathologist's cancer diagnosis based on a biopsy sample.

[0320] The antibodies or TCRs may also be used for in vivo diagnostic assays. Typically, the antibodies are coupled to radionucleotides (e.g., TCRs) using immunoscintigraphy so that tumors can be localized. 111 In, 99 Tc, 14 C. 131 I, 3H, 32 P or 35 In one embodiment, the antibody or fragment thereof binds to the extracellular domain of two or more targets of a protein selected from the group consisting of the above-mentioned proteins with an affinity (Kd) of less than 1 x 10 μM.

[0321] Diagnostic antibodies may be labeled with probes suitable for detection by various imaging methods. Probe detection methods include, but are not limited to, fluorescence, optical, confocal and electron microscopy; magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy; fluoroscopy, computed tomography and positron emission tomography. Suitable probes include, but are not limited to, fluorescein, rhodamine, eosin and other fluorophores, radioisotopes, gold, gadolinium and other lanthanides, paramagnetic iron, fluorine-18 and other positron-emitting radionuclides. Furthermore, the probes may be bifunctional or multifunctional and may be detectable by more than one of the listed methods. These antibodies may be directly or indirectly labeled with said probes. Particularly well-recognized attachment of probes to antibodies includes covalent binding of probes, incorporation of probes into antibodies, and covalent binding of chelating compounds for probe binding. For immunohistochemistry, diseased tissue samples may be fresh or frozen, or may be paraffin-embedded and fixed with a preservative such as formalin. Fixed or embedded sections containing the sample are contacted with labeled primary and secondary antibodies, and the antibodies are used to detect in situ protein expression.

[0322] Another aspect of the invention includes an in vitro method of producing activated T cells, the method comprising contacting ex vivo T cells with antigen-loaded human MHC molecules expressed on the surface of suitable antigen-presenting cells for a time sufficient to activate the T cells in an antigen-specific manner, the antigen being a peptide according to the invention. Preferably, a sufficient amount of antigen is used in conjunction with the antigen-presenting cells.

[0323] Preferably, the mammalian cells have no or reduced levels or function of the TAP peptide transporter. Suitable cells lacking the TAP peptide transporter include T2, RMA-S, and Drosophila cells. TAP is a transporter involved in antigen processing.

[0324] The human peptide loading depletion cell line T2 is available from the American Type Culture Collection, 12301 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20852, USA, under catalog number CRL1992; the Drosophila cell line Schneider strain 2 is available from the ATCC under catalog number CRL19863; the mouse RMA-S cell line is described in Ljunggren et al. (Ljunggren and Karre, 1985).

[0325] Preferably, before transfer, the host cells do not substantially express MHC class I molecules. It is also preferred that the stimulator cells express molecules important for providing costimulatory signals for T cells, such as any of B7.1, B7.2, ICAM-1, and LFA3. Numerous nucleic acid sequences of MHC class I molecules and costimulatory molecules are publicly available from the GenBank and EMBL databases.

[0326] When an MHC class I epitope is used as the antigen, the T cell is a CD8 positive T cell.

[0327] When antigen-presenting cells are transfected to express such epitopes, preferably the cells comprise an expression vector capable of expressing a peptide containing SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48, or a variant amino acid sequence thereof.

[0328] Several other methods may be used to produce T cells ex vivo. For example, autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes may be used to generate CTLs. Plebanski et al. (Plebanski et al., 1995) utilized autologous peripheral blood lymphocytes (PLBs) in the preparation of T cells. In addition, autologous T cells can be produced by pulsing dendritic cells with peptides or polypeptides or infecting them with recombinant viruses. B cells may also be used in the production of autologous T cells. In addition, macrophages pulsed with peptides or polypeptides or infected with recombinant viruses may be used in the preparation of autologous CTLs. S. Walter et al. (Walter et al., 2003) described ex vivo priming of T cells using artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPCs), which is also a suitable method for producing T cells against selected peptides. In the present invention, aAPCs were generated by conjugating preformed MHC:peptide complexes to surface polystyrene particles (microbeads) by biotin:streptavidin biochemistry. This system allows precise regulation of MHC density on aAPCs, which allows selectively eliciting high or low avidity antigen-specific T cell responses from blood samples with high efficiency. In addition to MHC:peptide complexes, aAPCs should carry other proteins with costimulatory activity, such as anti-CD28 antibodies, conjugated to their surface. Furthermore, such aAPC-based systems often require the addition of appropriate soluble factors, such as cytokines like interleukin-12.

[0329] Allogeneic cells may also be used in the preparation of T cells, and methods are detailed in WO 97 / 26328, which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, in addition to Drosophila cells and T2 cells, other cells may be used to present antigens, such as CHO cells, baculovirus-infected insect cells, bacteria, yeast, and vaccinia-infected target cells. In addition, plant viruses may be used (see, for example, Porta et al. (Porta et al., 1994), which describes the development of cowpea mosaic virus as a high-yield system for exogenous peptide presentation).

[0330] Activated T cells directed against the peptides of the invention are useful in therapy. Thus, a further aspect of the invention provides activated T cells obtainable by the methods of the invention described above.

[0331] The activated T cells produced by the above method selectively recognize cells that abnormally express a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence of any of SEQ ID NOs:1 to 48.

[0332] Preferably, the T cells recognize cells by interaction with (e.g. binding to) HLA / peptide complexes through their TCR. The T cells are useful in a method of killing target cells in a patient whose target cells aberrantly express a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence of the invention, to which an effective number of activated T cells are administered. The T cells administered to the patient may be derived from the patient and activated as described above (i.e., they are autologous T cells). Alternatively, the T cells are derived from another individual, not the patient. Of course, it is preferred if the individual is a healthy individual. By "healthy individual", we mean that the individual is generally in good health, preferably has a competent immune system, and more preferably is not suffering from any disease that can be easily tested for and detected.

[0333] In vivo, target cells for CD8 positive T cells according to the present invention may be tumor cells (which sometimes express MHC class II) and / or stromal cells surrounding the tumor (tumor cells) (which sometimes also express MHC class II; (Dengjel et al., 2006)).

[0334] The T cells of the present invention may be used as an active ingredient of a therapeutic composition.Thus, the present invention also provides a method of killing target cells in a patient, the target cells of which abnormally express a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence of the present invention, the method comprising administering to the patient an effective number of T cells as defined above.

[0335] By "aberrantly expressed" we also mean that the polypeptide is overexpressed compared to the expression level in normal tissue, or that the gene is silent in the tissue from which the tumor originates, but is expressed in the tumor. By "overexpressed" we mean that the polypeptide is present at a level of at least 1.2 times the level present in normal tissue; preferably at least 2 times, more preferably at least 5 or 10 times the level present in normal tissue.

[0336] T cells may be obtained by methods known in the art, such as those described above.

[0337] Protocols for this so-called adoptive transfer of T cells are well known in the art and are reviewed in Gattioni et al. and Morgan et al. (Gattinoni et al., 2006; Morgan et al., 2006).

[0338] Another aspect of the invention involves the use of peptides that complex with MHC to generate T cell receptors whose nucleic acids are cloned and introduced into host cells, preferably T cells. This engineered T cell can then be transferred into a patient for cancer treatment.

[0339] Any of the molecules of the present invention, i.e. peptides, nucleic acids, antibodies, expression vectors, cells, activated T cells, T cell receptors or nucleic acids encoding same, are useful for treating disorders characterized by cells that escape immune responses. Any of the molecules of the present invention may therefore be used as a medicament or in the manufacture of a medicament. The molecules may be used alone or in combination with other molecules of the present invention or known molecules.

[0340] The present invention relates to (a) a container containing the above-mentioned pharmaceutical composition in solution or in lyophilized form; (b) optionally, a second container containing a diluent or reconstitution solution for the lyophilized formulation; and (c) optionally, (i) instructions for use of the solution, or (ii) instructions for reconstitution and / or use of the lyophilized formulation. The present invention is further directed to a kit comprising:

[0341] The kit may further comprise one or more of: (iii) a buffer, (iv) a diluent, (v) a filter, (vi) a needle, or (v) a syringe. The container is preferably a bottle, a vial, a syringe, or a test tube; it may be a multi-use container. The pharmaceutical composition is preferably lyophilized.

[0342] The kit of the present invention preferably comprises the lyophilized formulation of the present invention in a suitable container and instructions for its reconstitution and / or use. Suitable containers include, for example, bottles, vials (e.g., dual-chamber vials), syringes (such as dual-chamber syringes), and test tubes. The containers may be formed from a variety of materials, such as glass or plastic. Preferably, the kit and / or container includes instructions on or associated with the container, which indicate reconstitution and / or use directions. For example, the label may indicate that the lyophilized formulation is reconstituted to a peptide concentration as described above. The label may further indicate that the formulation is useful or intended for subcutaneous administration.

[0343] The container housing the formulation may be a multi-use vial, which allows for repeated administration (e.g., 2-6 administrations) of the reconstituted formulation. The kit may further comprise a second container comprising a suitable diluent (e.g., sodium bicarbonate solution).

[0344] Upon mixing of the diluent and the lyophilized formulation, the final peptide concentration in the reconstituted formulation is preferably at least 0.15 mg / mL / peptide (=75 μg), and preferably no more than 3 mg / mL / peptide (=1500 μg). The kit may further include other items desirable from a commercial and user standpoint, including other buffers, diluents, filters, needles, syringes, and package inserts with instructions.

[0345] The kits of the invention may have a single container containing a pharmaceutical composition formulation according to the invention, with or without added other components (e.g., other compounds or pharmaceutical compositions of these other compounds), or may have separate containers for each component.

[0346] Preferably, the kit of the invention comprises a formulation of the invention packaged for use in conjunction with the co-administration of a second compound (such as an adjuvant (e.g., GM-CSF), a chemotherapeutic agent, a natural product, a hormone or antagonist, an anti-angiogenic factor or inhibitor, an apoptosis inducer or chelator, or a pharmaceutical composition thereof). The components of the kit may be premixed or each component may be in a separate, distinct container prior to administration to a patient. The components of the kit may be provided in one or more liquid solutions, preferably aqueous solutions, more preferably sterile aqueous solutions. The components of the kit may also be provided as solids, which may be converted to liquids by the addition of a suitable solvent, preferably provided in another, distinct container.

[0347] The container of the therapeutic kit may be a vial, test tube, flask, bottle, syringe, or any other means of enclosing a solid or liquid. Usually, when there is more than one component, the kit will contain a second vial or other container to allow separate dosing. The kit may also contain a separate container for a pharma-ceutically acceptable liquid. Preferably, the therapeutic kit will contain a device (e.g., one or more needles, syringes, eyedroppers, pipettes, etc.) to allow administration of the agent of the present invention that is a component of the kit.

[0348] The formulation is suitable for administration of the peptide by any acceptable means, such as oral (enteral), nasal, ocular, subcutaneous, intradermal, intramuscular, intravenous or transdermal. Preferably, administration is sc, and most preferably id, optionally by infusion pump.

[0349] Since the peptides of the invention were isolated from prostate tumors, the agents of the invention are preferably used to treat prostate tumors.

[0350] The present invention further relates to a method for producing personalized medicine for an individual patient, comprising the step of producing a pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one peptide selected from the reservoir of pre-screened TUMAPs, wherein at least one peptide used in the pharmaceutical composition is selected for suitability in the individual patient. In one embodiment, the pharmaceutical composition is a vaccine. The method can also be adapted to produce T cell clones for downstream applications such as TCR isolation, or soluble antibodies, and other therapeutic options.

[0351] "Personalized medicine" shall mean a therapy that is specifically tailored for an individual patient, including proactive personalized cancer vaccines and adoptive cellular therapies using autologous patient tissue, used exclusively for the treatment of such individual patient.

[0352] As used herein, the term "reservoir" refers to a group or set of peptides that have been pre-screened for immunogenicity and / or over-presentation in a particular tumor type. The term "reservoir" is not intended to imply that the particular peptides included in the vaccine are pre-manufactured and stored in a physical facility, although this possibility is contemplated. It is expressly contemplated that peptides may be produced de novo for each personalized vaccine produced, or may be pre-manufactured and stored. The reservoir (e.g., in the form of a database) is composed of tumor-associated peptides that are highly overexpressed in tumor tissues of prostate cancer patients with diverse HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-C alleles. It may contain MHC class I and MHC class II peptides or extended MHC class I peptides. In addition to tumor-associated peptides taken from several prostate tumor tissues, the reservoir may also contain peptides that are highly overexpressed in tumor tissues of prostate cancer patients with diverse HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-C alleles. * 02 and HLA-A *24 labeled peptides. These peptides allow quantitative comparison of the magnitude of T cell immunity induced by TUMAP, and therefore important conclusions can be drawn about the vaccine's ability to induce antitumor responses. Secondly, they serve as important positive control peptides derived from "non-self" antigens in cases where no vaccine-induced T cell response against TUMAP derived from "self" antigens is observed in patients. Thirdly, they can allow conclusions to be drawn about the immune competence status of patients.

[0353] TUMAPs for the reservoir are identified using an integrated functional genomics approach (XPresident®) that combines gene expression analysis, mass spectrometry, and T cell immunology. The approach ensures that only TUMAPs that are truly present on a high percentage of tumors, but not or only minimally expressed on normal tissues, are selected for further analysis. For initial peptide selection, prostate cancer samples from patients as well as additional benign prostatic hyperplasia and blood from healthy donors were analyzed in a stepwise approach: 1. HLA ligands from tumor material were identified by mass spectrometry 2. Genome-wide messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression analysis was used to identify gene overexpression in malignant tissues (prostate cancer) compared with a range of normal organs and tissues. 3. The identified HLA ligands were compared with gene expression data. Preferably, peptides that are over- or selectively presented on tumor tissues, encoded by selectively or over-expressed genes as detected in step 2, were considered as suitable TUMAP candidates for multi-peptide vaccines. 4. A literature search was performed to identify additional evidence supporting the validity of the identified peptides as TUMAPs. 5. The association of overexpression at the mRNA level was confirmed by re-detection of selected TUMAPs from step 3 in tumor tissues and their absence (or rare) detection in healthy tissues. 6. To assess whether the selected peptides are capable of inducing T cell responses in vivo, in vitro immunogenicity assays were performed using human T cells from healthy donors as well as prostate cancer patients.

[0354] In one embodiment, peptides are pre-screened for immunogenicity prior to inclusion in the reservoir. As a non-limiting example, the immunogenicity of peptides included in the reservoir is determined by a method comprising ex vivo T cell priming through repeated stimulation of CD8+ T cells from healthy donors with artificial antigen-presenting cells loaded with peptide / MHC complexes and anti-CD28 antibodies.

[0355] This method is favorable for rare cancers and for patients with rare expression profiles. In contrast to multiple peptide mixtures with a fixed composition, the currently developed reservoir allows a significantly higher matching of the vaccine with the actual expression of antigens in tumors. In a multi-target approach, several "off-the-shelf" peptides are selected for each patient, either single or in combination. In theory, an approach based on the selection of, for example, 5 different antigenic peptides from a library of 50 antigenic peptides would result in approximately 17 million possible drug product (DP) compositions.

[0356] In one aspect, peptides are selected for inclusion in the vaccine based on their suitability for an individual patient based on the methods according to the invention as described herein or as follows.

[0357] HLA phenotype, transcriptomic and peptidomic data are collected from patient tumor material and blood samples to identify the most relevant peptides for each patient, containing the "reservoir" and patient-specific (i.e. mutated) TUMAPs. Peptides are selected that are selectively or overexpressed in the patient's tumor and, if possible, show strong in vitro immunogenicity when tested with the patient's individual PBMCs.

[0358] Preferably, the peptides to be included in the vaccine are identified by a method comprising the steps of: (a) identifying tumor associated peptides (TUMAPs) presented by tumor samples from individual patients; (b) comparing the peptides identified in (a) with the above-mentioned peptide reservoir; and (c) selecting at least one peptide from the reservoir (database) that is related to the tumor associated peptides identified in the patient. For example, the TUMAPs presented by tumor samples are identified by the steps of: (a1) comparing expression data from the tumor sample with expression data from a normal tissue sample corresponding to the tissue type of the tumor sample to identify proteins that are overexpressed or aberrantly expressed in the tumor sample; and (a2) correlating the expression data with sequences of MHC ligands bound to MHC class I and / or class II molecules in the tumor sample to identify MHC ligands derived from proteins overexpressed or aberrantly expressed by the tumor. Preferably, the sequences of the MHC ligands are identified by eluting bound peptides from MHC molecules isolated from the tumor sample and sequencing the eluted ligands. Preferably, the tumor sample and normal tissue are obtained from the same patient.

[0359] In addition to or as an alternative to using a reservoir (database) model to select peptides, TUMAPs may be identified de novo in patients and then included in vaccines. As an example, candidate TUMAPs may be identified in patients by: (a1) comparing expression data from the tumor sample with expression data from normal tissue samples corresponding to the tissue type of the tumor sample to identify proteins that are overexpressed or abnormally expressed in the tumor sample; and (a2) correlating the expression data with sequences of MHC ligands bound to MHC class I and / or class II molecules in the tumor sample to identify MHC ligands derived from proteins that are overexpressed or abnormally expressed by tumors. As another example, proteins containing mutations specific to tumor samples may be identified by comparing with normal counterpart tissues from individual patients, and TUMAPs that specifically target the mutations may be identified. For example, the genome of the tumor and the genome of the corresponding normal tissue may be sequenced by whole genome sequencing. To discover nonsynonymous mutations in the protein-coding regions of genes, genomic DNA and RNA are extracted from tumor tissues and normal non-mutated genomic germline DNA is extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The applied NGS approach is limited to resequencing of protein-coding regions (exome resequencing). For this purpose, exonic DNA from human samples is captured using target enrichment kits provided by suppliers, followed by sequencing, for example, by HiSeq2000 (Illumina). In addition, tumor mRNA is sequenced for direct quantification of gene expression and for validity assessment that the mutated genes are expressed in the patient's tumor. The resulting millions of sequence reads are processed through software algorithms. The output list contains the mutations and gene expression. Tumor-specific somatic mutations are determined and prioritized by comparison with the diversity of PBMC-derived germline. The newly identified peptides can then be tested for immunogenicity as described above for the reservoir, and candidate TUMAPs that retain the appropriate immunogenicity are selected for inclusion in the vaccine.

[0360] In an exemplary embodiment, peptides to be included in the vaccine are identified by the following steps: (a) identifying tumor-associated peptides (TUMAPs) presented by tumor samples from individual patients by the above-described method (Method); (b) comparing the peptides identified in a) with a reservoir of peptides preselected for immunogenicity and over-presentation in tumors compared to corresponding normal tissues; (c) selecting at least one peptide from the reservoir that is related to the tumor-associated peptides identified in the patient; and (d) optionally selecting at least one newly identified peptide in (a) and confirming its immunogenicity.

[0361] In an exemplary embodiment, peptides to be included in the vaccine are identified by: (a) identifying tumor-associated peptides (TUMAPs) presented by tumor samples from individual patients; and (b) selecting at least one newly identified peptide in (a) and confirming its immunogenicity.

[0362] Once peptides for a personalized peptide-based vaccine are selected, the vaccine is manufactured, preferably as a liquid formulation consisting of individual peptides dissolved in 20-40% DMSO, such as about 33% DMSO, preferably about 30-35% DMSO.

[0363] Each peptide included in the product is dissolved in DMSO. The concentration of the single peptide solution must be selected according to the number of peptides included in the product. The single peptide DMSO solutions are mixed in equal amounts to obtain a solution containing all peptides included in the product at a concentration of approximately 2.5 mg / ml per peptide. The mixed solution is then diluted 1:3 with water for injection to obtain a concentration of 0.826 mg / ml per peptide in 33% DMSO. The diluted solution is filtered through a 0.22 μm sterile filter. The final bulk solution is obtained.

[0364] The final bulk solution is filled into vials and stored at -20°C until use. Each vial contains 700 μL of solution containing 0.578 mg of each peptide, of which 500 μL (approximately 400 μg per peptide) is applied for intradermal injection.

[0365] In addition to being useful for treating cancer, the peptides of the present invention are also useful as diagnostics: because the peptides were produced from prostate tumor cells, and because they were determined to be absent or present at lower levels in normal tissue, the peptides can be used to diagnose the presence of tumors.

[0366] The presence of the claimed peptides on tissue biopsies in blood samples can aid pathologists in cancer diagnosis. Detection of a particular peptide by means of antibodies, mass spectrometry or other methods known in the art can tell a pathologist that a tissue sample is malignant or inflammatory or generally diseased, or can be used as a biomarker for prostate cancer. The presence of peptide groups can allow classification or subclassification of diseased tissue.

[0367] The detection of peptides on diseased tissue samples allows the evaluation of the benefits of treatments involving the immune system, especially when T lymphocytes are known or predicted to be involved in the mechanism of action. Loss of MHC expression is a well-described mechanism by which infected malignant cells escape immune surveillance. The presence of peptides therefore indicates that this mechanism is not exploited by the analyzed cells.

[0368] The peptides of the present invention may be used to analyze lymphocyte responses to these peptides, such as T cell or antibody responses to peptides or peptides complexed with MHC molecules. These lymphocyte responses may be used as prognostic markers to determine further treatment steps. These responses may also be used as surrogate response markers in immunotherapy approaches that aim to induce lymphocyte responses by different means, such as vaccination with proteins, nucleic acids, autologous materials, or adoptive transfer of lymphocytes. In the setting of gene therapy, lymphocyte responses to peptides may be taken into account in the evaluation of side effects. Monitoring lymphocyte responses may also be a useful tool for follow-up examinations of transplantation therapy, such as for example detection of graft-versus-host disease and host-versus-graft disease.

[0369] The present invention will now be described in the following examples which depict preferred embodiments thereof and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: For purposes of the present invention, all references cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0370] [Figure 1A] 1A-C show the over-representation of various peptides in normal tissues (white bars) and in prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues (black bars). [Figure 1B] Same as above [Figure 1C] Same as above [Figure 1D]Figures 1D-E show all cell lines, normal tissues and cancer tissues in which exemplary peptides (SLLSHQVLL(A*02) (SEQ ID NO: 20) and SLLSHQVLL(A*24) (SEQ ID NO: 20)) were detected. FIG. 1A) Gene: OR51E2, peptide: VTAQIGIVAV (A*02; SEQ ID NO: 1) - tissues from left to right: 1 adipose tissue, 3 adrenal gland, 6 artery, 5 bone marrow, 7 brain, 3 breast, 1 central nervous system, 13 colon, 1 duodenum, 8 esophagus, 2 gallbladder, 5 heart, 16 kidney, 21 liver, 46 lung, 4 lymph node, 4 white blood cell sample, 4 ovary, 7 pancreas, 4 peripheral nerve, 1 peritoneum, 3 pituitary gland, 4 placenta, 3 pleura, 6 rectus muscle, 7 salivary gland, 4 skeletal muscle, 6 skin, 2 small intestine, 4 spleen, 7 stomach, 4 testis, 3 thymus, 4 thyroid, 10 trachea, 3 ureter, 6 bladder, 2 uterus, 2 veins, 3 prostate, 44 neoplastic prostate. The peptide was also found on small cell lung cancer (not shown). FIG. 1B) Gene: MANSC1, peptide: KMDEASAQLL (A*02; SEQ ID NO: 14) - Tissues from left to right: 1 adipose tissue, 3 adrenal gland, 6 artery, 5 bone marrow, 7 brain, 3 breast, 1 central nervous system, 13 colon, 1 duodenum, 8 esophagus, 2 gallbladder, 5 heart, 16 kidney, 21 liver, 46 lung, 4 lymph node, 4 white blood cell sample, 4 ovary, 7 pancreas, 4 peripheral nerve, 1 peritoneum, 3 pituitary gland, 4 placenta, 3 pleura, 6 rectus muscle, 7 salivary gland, 4 skeletal muscle, 6 skin, 2 small intestine, 4 spleen, 7 stomach, 4 testis, 3 thymus, 4 thyroid gland, 10 trachea, 3 ureter, 6 bladder, 2 uterus, 2 veins, 3 prostate, 44 neoplastic prostate. FIG. 1C) Gene: TRPM8, peptide: SYNDALLTF (A*24; SEQ ID NO: 24) - tissues from left to right: 2 adrenal gland, 1 artery, 4 brain, 1 breast, 5 colon, 1 heart, 13 kidney, 9 liver, 9 lung, 3 pancreas, 1 pituitary, 2 rectus muscle, 3 skin, 1 spleen, 12 stomach, 1 thymus, 2 uterus, 40 tumorous prostate. The peptide was also found on non-small cell lung cancer (not shown). FIG. 1D) Gene: KIAA1244, peptide: SLLSHQVLL (A*02; SEQ ID NO: 20) - tissues from left to right: 1 pancreatic cell line, 20 cancer tissues (1 brain cancer, 1 breast cancer, 2 colon cancer, 1 esophageal cancer, 1 kidney cancer, 1 liver cancer, 3 lung cancer, 8 prostate cancer, 1 stomach cancer, 1 bladder cancer). The set of normal tissues was the same as A-B, but the peptide was not detected in any of the normal tissues.FIG. 1E) Gene: KIAA1244, peptide: QYGKDFLTL (A*24; SEQ ID NO: 33) - tissues from left to right: 3 benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues, 3 normal tissues (1 liver, 1 lung, 1 rectum), 31 cancer tissues (5 brain cancer, 4 liver cancer, 15 lung cancer, 7 prostate cancer). The set of normal tissues was the same as in C, but tissues without detection are not shown. [Figure 1E] Same as above [Figure 1F] Figure 1F-K show the over-representation of various peptides in normal tissues (white bars) and in prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues (black bars). [Figure 1G] Same as above [Figure 1H] Same as above [Figure 1I] Same as above [Figure 1J] Same as above [Figure 1K] Same as above [Figure 1L]Figure 1L-S shows all cell lines, normal tissues, and cancer tissues in which the various peptides were detected. Figure 1F) Gene: NEFH, peptide: HLLEDIAHV (A*02; SEQ ID NO: 3) - Tissues from left to right: 1 adipose tissue, 3 adrenal gland, 6 artery, 5 bone marrow, 7 brain, 3 breast, 1 central nervous system, 13 colon, 1 duodenum, 8 esophagus, 2 gallbladder, 5 heart, 16 kidney, 4 white blood cell samples, 21 liver, 46 lung, 4 lymph node, 3 ovary, 7 pancreas, 4 peripheral nerve, 1 peritoneum, 3 pituitary gland, 2 placenta, 3 pleura, 6 rectum, 7 salivary gland, 4 skeletal muscle, 5 skin, 2 small intestine, 4 spleen, 7 stomach, 4 testis, 3 thymus, 4 thyroid, 9 trachea, 3 ureter, 6 bladder, 2 uterus, 2 vein, 3 prostate, 33 prostate cancer tissues, and 10 benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues. FIG. 1G) Gene: PDE11A, Peptide: ALLESRVNL (A*02; SEQ ID NO: 6) - Tissues from left to right: 1 adipose tissue, 3 adrenal gland, 6 artery, 5 bone marrow, 7 brain, 3 breast, 1 central nervous system, 13 colon, 1 duodenum, 8 esophagus, 2 gallbladder, 5 heart, 16 kidney, 4 white blood cell samples, 21 liver, 46 lung, 4 lymph node, 3 ovary, 7 pancreas, 4 peripheral nerve, 1 peritoneum, 3 pituitary gland, 2 placenta, 3 pleura, 6 rectum, 7 salivary gland, 4 skeletal muscle, 5 skin, 2 small intestine, 4 spleen, 7 stomach, 4 testis, 3 thymus, 4 thyroid, 9 trachea, 3 ureter, 6 bladder, 2 uterus, 2 vein, 3 prostate, 33 prostate cancer tissues, and 10 benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues. Figure 1H) Gene: KLK4, peptide: GYLQGLVSF (A*24; SEQ ID NO: 27) - tissues from left to right: 2 adrenal glands, 1 artery, 4 brain, 1 breast, 5 colon, 1 heart, 13 kidneys, 9 liver, 9 lungs, 3 pancreas, 1 pituitary gland, 2 rectum, 3 skin, 1 spleen, 12 stomach, 1 thymus, 2 uterus, 37 prostate cancer tissues, and 3 benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues. Figure 1I) Gene: TGFB3, peptide: YYAKEIHKF (A*24; SEQ ID NO: 28) - tissues from left to right: 2 adrenal glands, 1 artery, 4 brain, 1 breast, 5 colon, 1 heart, 13 kidneys, 9 liver, 9 lungs, 3 pancreas, 1 pituitary gland, 2 rectum, 3 skin, 1 spleen, 12 stomach, 1 thymus, 2 uterus, 37 prostate cancer tissues, and 3 benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues.FIG. 1J) Gene: KLK3, Peptide: SLFHPEDTGQV (A*02; SEQ ID NO: 49) - Tissues from left to right: 1 adipose tissue, 3 adrenal gland, 6 artery, 5 bone marrow, 7 brain, 3 breast, 1 central nervous system, 13 colon, 1 duodenum, 8 esophagus, 2 gallbladder, 5 heart, 16 kidney, 4 white blood cell samples, 21 liver, 46 lung, 4 lymph node, 3 ovary, 7 pancreas, 4 peripheral nerve, 1 peritoneum, 3 pituitary gland, 2 placenta, 3 pleura, 6 rectum, 7 salivary gland, 4 skeletal muscle, 5 skin, 2 small intestine, 4 spleen, 7 stomach, 4 testis, 3 thymus, 4 thyroid, 9 trachea, 3 ureter, 6 bladder, 2 uterus, 2 vein, 3 prostate, 33 prostate cancer tissues, and 10 benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues. FIG. 1K) Gene: KLK2, Peptide: AYSEKVTEF (A*24; SEQ ID NO: 54) - Tissues from left to right: 2 adrenal gland, 1 artery, 4 brain, 1 breast, 5 colon, 1 heart, 13 kidney, 9 liver, 9 lung, 3 pancreas, 1 pituitary, 2 rectum, 3 skin, 1 spleen, 12 stomach, 1 thymus, 2 uterus, 37 prostate cancer tissues, and 3 benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues. Fig. 1L) Gene: GREB1, peptide: SMLGEEIQL (A*02; sequence number 2) - tissues from left to right: 1 benign prostatic hyperplasia tissue (BPH), 3 cell lines (3 skin), 1 normal tissue (1 uterus), 26 cancer tissues (2 breast cancer, 2 liver cancer, 1 lung cancer, 1 ovarian cancer, 13 prostate cancer, 6 skin cancer, 1 uterine cancer. Fig. 1M) Gene: TRPM8, peptide: ALLTFVWKL (A*02; sequence number 4) - tissues from left to right: 3 benign prostatic hyperplasia tissue (BPH), 13 cancer tissues (1 brain cancer, 12 prostate cancer). Fig. 1N) Gene: TRPM8, peptide: KIFSRLIYI (A*02; sequence number 5) - tissues from left to right: 4 benign prostatic hyperplasia tissue (BPH), 10 cancer tissues (1 brain cancer, 8 prostate cancer, 1 skin cancer). Figure 1O) Gene: MANSC1, peptide: KMDEASAQL (A*02; sequence number 16) - tissues from left to right: 21 cancer tissues (20 prostate cancer, 1 bladder cancer). Figure 1P) Gene: C6orf132, peptide: RYGSPINTF (A*24; sequence number 29) - tissues from left to right: 4 benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues (BPH), 54 cancer tissues (1 liver cancer, 24 lung cancer, 26 prostate cancer, 3 gastric cancer). Figure 1Q) Gene: ITGA7, peptide: AFSPDSHYLLF (A*24; sequence number 34) - tissues from left to right: 5 benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues (BPH), 44 cancer tissues (10 brain cancer, 1 kidney cancer, 4 liver cancer, 18 lung cancer, 11 prostate cancer).Figure 1R) Genes: TPSB2, TPSAB1, peptide: IYTRVTYYL (A*24; sequence number 35) - tissues from left to right: 3 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) tissues, 59 cancer tissues (36 lung cancer, 14 prostate cancer, 9 gastric cancer). Figure 1S) Genes: SLC30A4, peptide: ALGDLVQSV (A*02; sequence number 52) - tissues from left to right: 1 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) tissue, 11 cancer tissues (1 lymph node cancer, 9 prostate cancer, 1 skin cancer). [Figure 1M] Same as above [Figure 1N] Same as above [Figure 1O] Same as above [Figure 1P] Same as above [Figure 1Q] Same as above [Figure 1R] Same as above [Figure 1S] Same as above [Figure 2A] Figures 2A-E show exemplary expression profiles (relative expression compared to normal kidney) of the source genes of the present invention that are highly overexpressed or exclusively expressed in prostate cancer in a panel of normal tissues and 20 prostate cancer samples. Tissues from left to right: adrenal gland, artery, bone marrow, brain (total), breast, colon, esophagus, heart, kidney (triplicate), white blood cell, liver, lung, lymph node, ovary, pancreas, placenta, prostate, salivary gland, skeletal muscle, skin, small intestine, spleen, stomach, testis, thymus, thyroid, bladder, cervix, uterus, vein, 20 prostate cancer samples. Figure 2A) NEFH; Figure 2B) ABCC4; Figure 2C) RAB3B; Figure 2D) OR51E2; and Figure 2E) KLK2. [Figure 2B] Same as above [Figure 2C] Same as above [Figure 2D] Same as above [Figure 2E] Same as above [Diagram 3] Exemplary immunogenicity data are shown: Flow cytometry results after peptide-specific multimer staining: A) TYIGQGYII (FKBP10; SEQ ID NO: 42); B) IYTRVTYYL (TPSB2, TPSAB1; SEQ ID NO: 35). [Figure 4-1]4A-C show exemplary results of peptide-specific in vitro CD8+ T cell responses of healthy HLA-A*02+ donors. CD8+ T cells were primed with artificial APCs coated with anti-CD28 mAb and HLA-A*02 complexed with SEQ ID NO:1 peptide (A, left panel), SEQ ID NO:3 peptide (B, left panel) or SEQ ID NO:5 peptide (C, left panel), respectively. After three cycles of stimulation, detection of peptide-reactive cells was performed by 2D multimer staining with A*02 / SEQ ID NO:1 (A), A*02 / SEQ ID NO:3 (B) or A*02 / SEQ ID NO:5 (C). The right panels (A, B, and C) show control staining of cells stimulated with irrelevant A*02 / peptide complexes. Viable singlet cells were gated for CD8+ lymphocytes. Boolean gates helped to exclude false positive events detected by multimers specific for different peptides. The frequency of specific multimer+ cells among CD8+ lymphocytes is shown. [Figure 4-2] Same as above [Diagram 5] 5A-B show exemplary results of peptide-specific in vitro CD8+ T cell responses of healthy HLA-A*24+ donors. CD8+ T cells were primed with artificial APCs coated with anti-CD28 mAb and HLA-A*24 complexed with SEQ ID NO:24 peptide (A, left panel) or SEQ ID NO:27 peptide (B, left panel), respectively. After three cycles of stimulation, detection of peptide-reactive cells was performed by 2D multimer staining with A*24 / SEQ ID NO:24 (A), or A*24 / SEQ ID NO:27 (B). The right panels (A and B) show the control staining of cells stimulated with irrelevant A*24 / peptide complex. Viable singlet cells were gated on CD8+ lymphocytes. Boolean gates helped to exclude false positive events detected by multimers specific for different peptides. The frequency of specific multimer+ cells among CD8+ lymphocytes is shown. EXAMPLES

[0371] Example 1 Identification and quantification of tumor-associated peptides displayed on the cell surface Tissue samples Patient prostate tumor tissues were obtained from Asterand (Detroit, USA and Royston, Herts, UK); BioServe (Beltsville, MD, USA); Geneticist Inc. (Glendale, CA, USA); Indivumed GmbH (Hamburg, Germany); Saint Savas Hospital, Athens, Greece, and University Hospital of Tubingen. Normal tissues were obtained from Asterand (Detroit, USA and Royston, Herts, UK); Bio-Options Inc, CA, USA; BioServe, Beltsville, MD, USA; Capital BioScience Inc, Rockville, MD, USA; Geneticist Inc., Glendale, CA, USA; University Hospital of Geneva; University Hospital of Heidelberg; Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine (KPUM); Osaka City University (OCU); University Hospital Munich; ProteoGenex Inc., Culver City, CA, USA; Tissue Solutions Ltd., Glasgow, United Kingdom; and University Hospital of Tubingen. Informed consent of all patients was obtained prior to surgery or autopsy. Tissues were shock frozen immediately after resection and stored at <-70°C until isolation of TUMAPs.

[0372] Isolation of HLA peptides from tissue samples HLA peptide pooling from shock-frozen tissue samples was performed using HLA-A peptide pooling according to a slightly modified protocol (Falk et al., 1991; Seeger et al., 1999). *were obtained from solid tissues by immunoprecipitation using the 02-specific antibody BB7.2, the HLA-A, -B, -C specific antibody W6 / 32, CNBr-activated Sepharose, acid treatment, and ultrafiltration.

[0373] mass spectrometry The resulting HLA peptide pool was separated according to their hydrophobicity by reversed-phase chromatography (nanoAcquity UPL C system, Waters) and the eluted peptides were analyzed in an LTQ-velos and fusion hybrid mass spectrometer (ThermoElectron) equipped with an ESI source. The peptide pool was directly inserted onto an analytical fused silica microcapillary column (75 μm i.d. × 250 mm) packed with 1.7 μm C18 reversed-phase material (Waters) applying a flow rate of 400 nL per minute. Peptides were subsequently separated using a two-step 180 min binary gradient from 10% to 33% B at a flow rate of 300 nL per minute. The gradient consisted of solvent A (0.1% formic acid in water) and solvent B (0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile). Gold-coated glass capillaries (PicoTip, New Objective) were used for introduction into the nanoESI source. The LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometer was operated in data-dependent mode using the TOP5 strategy. Briefly, a scan cycle began with a full scan at high mass accuracy in the Orbitrap (R = 30000), followed by an MS / MS scan of the five most abundant precursor ions, also in the Orbitrap (R = 7500), while dynamically excluding previously selected ions. Tandem mass spectra were interpreted by SEQUEST and additional manual adjustments. Identified peptide sequences were confirmed by comparison of the generated native peptide fragmentation patterns with those of sequence-identical synthetic reference peptides.

[0374] Label-free relative LC-MS quantification was performed by ion counting, i.e., by extraction and analysis of LC-MS features (Mueller et al., 2007). The method assumes that the LC-MS signal area of ​​a peptide correlates with its abundance in the sample. The extracted features were further processed by charge state deconvolution and retention time alignment (Mueller et al., 2008; Sturm et al., 2008). Finally, all LC-MS features were cross-referenced with the sequence identification results to combine quantitative data of the different samples and tissue-to-peptide presentation profiles. The quantitative data were normalized in a two-stage method according to central tendency, which took into account technical and biological intra-replicate variability. In this way, each identified peptide can be associated with quantitative data, allowing relative quantification between samples and tissues. Furthermore, all quantitative data obtained for peptide candidates were manually inspected to ensure data consistency and to check the accuracy of the automated analysis. Presentation profiles were calculated for each peptide, showing the average sample presentation as well as the replicate variability. The profile juxtaposes prostate cancer samples and benign prostatic hyperplasia samples to a baseline of normal tissue samples. The presentation profile of an exemplary over-presented peptide is shown in Figure 1. The presentation scores of exemplary peptides are shown in Tables 12 and 13.

[0375] Table 12: Presentation scores. The table shows the results of the following: Very highly over-presented on tumor compared to normal tissue panel (+++), highly over-presented on tumor compared to normal tissue panel (++), over-presented on tumor compared to normal tissue panel (+), HLA-A * 02 peptides are listed. [Table 12]

[0376] Table 13: Presentation scores. The table shows the results of the following: Very highly over-presented on tumor compared to normal tissue panel (+++), highly over-presented on tumor compared to normal tissue panel (++), over-presented on tumor compared to normal tissue panel (+), HLA-A* 24 peptides are listed. [Table 13]

[0377] Example 2 Expression profiling of genes encoding the peptides of the present invention Over-presentation or specific presentation of peptides on tumor cells compared to normal cells is sufficient for their usefulness in immunotherapy, and some peptides are tumor-specific, even though their origin protein is also present in normal tissues. Nevertheless, mRNA expression profiling can increase the level of safety in the selection of peptide targets for immunotherapy. Especially for therapeutic options with high safety risk, such as affinity matured TCR, the ideal target peptide is derived from a protein that is specific to tumors and not found on normal tissues.

[0378] RNA origin and preparation Surgically removed tissue specimens were provided as described above after informed consent was obtained from each patient (see Example 1). Tumor tissue specimens were snap frozen immediately after surgery and then homogenized with a mortar and pestle under liquid nitrogen. Total RNA was prepared from these samples using TRI Reagent (Ambion, Darmstadt, Germany), followed by purification with RNeasy (QIAGEN, Hilden, Germany); both methods were performed according to the manufacturer's protocols.

[0379] Total RNA from healthy human tissues was obtained commercially (Ambion, Huntingdon, UK; Clontech, Heidelberg, Germany; Stratagene, Amsterdam, Netherlands; BioChain, Hayward, CA, USA). RNA from several individuals (2–123) was mixed such that RNA from each individual was equally weighted.

[0380] The quality and quantity of all RNA samples were assessed on an Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer (Agilent, Waldbronn, Germany) using the RNA 6000 Pico LabChip kit (Agilent).

[0381] Microarray experiments Gene expression analysis of all tumor and normal tissue RNA samples was performed by Affymetrix Human Genome (HG) U133A or HG-U133 Plus 2.0 oligonucleotide microarrays (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA, USA). All steps were performed according to the Affymetrix manual. Briefly, double-stranded cDNA was synthesized from 5–8 μg of total RNA using SuperScript RTII (Invitrogen) and oligo dT-T7 primers (MWG Biotech, Ebersberg, Germany) as described in the manual. In vitro transcription was performed using the BioArray High Yield RNA Transcript Labelling Kit for U133A arrays (ENZO Diagnostics, Inc., Farmingdale, NY, USA) or the GeneChip IVT Labelling Kit for U133 Plus 2.0 (Affymetrix), followed by cRNA fragmentation, hybridization, and staining with streptavidin-phycoerythrin and biotinylated anti-streptavidin antibody (Molecular Probes, Leiden, Netherlands). Images were scanned with an Agilent 2500A GeneArray Scanner (U133A) or an Affymetrix Gene-Chip Scanner 3000 (U133 Plus 2.0), and data were analyzed by GCOS software (Affymetrix) using default settings for all parameters. For normalization, 100 housekeeping genes provided by Affymetrix were used. Relative expression values ​​were calculated from the signal log ratios provided by the software, and normal kidney samples were arbitrarily set to 1.0.Exemplary expression profiles of the source genes of the present invention that are highly overexpressed or exclusively expressed in prostate cancer are shown in Figures 2A-E.Expression scores of further exemplary genes are shown in Table 14.

[0382] Table 14: Expression Score. The table lists peptides derived from genes that are very highly overexpressed in tumors compared to a normal tissue panel (+++), highly overexpressed in tumors compared to a normal tissue panel (++), and overexpressed in tumors compared to a normal tissue panel (+). [Table 14]

[0383] Example 3 In vitro immunogenicity of MHC class I-presented peptides To obtain information on the immunogenicity of the TUMAPs of the invention, the inventors carried out studies using an in vitro T cell priming assay based on repeated stimulation of CD8+ T cells with artificial antigen presenting cells (aAPCs) loaded with peptide / MHC complexes and anti-CD28 antibodies. In this way, the inventors demonstrated that for some selected TUMAPs, the HLA-A of the invention is * 0201-restricted and HLA-A * Immunogenicity against 24-restricted TUMAPs was demonstrated, demonstrating that these peptides are T cell epitopes against which CD8 precursor T cells are present in humans (Table 15A+B).

[0384] Ex vivo priming of CD8+ T cells To perform ex vivo stimulation with artificial antigen-presenting cells loaded with peptide-MHC complexes (pMHC) and anti-CD28 antibodies, we first isolated CD8+ T cells from fresh HLA-A*02 leukapheresis products through positive selection with CD8 microbeads (Miltenyi Biotec, Bergisch-Gladbach, Germany) from healthy donors obtained after informed consent from the University clinics Mannheim, Germany.

[0385] PBMCs and isolated CD8+ lymphocytes or PBMCs were cultured in T cell medium (TCM) consisting of RPMI-Glutamax (Invitrogen, Karlsruhe, Germany) supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated human AB serum (PAN-Biotech, Aidenbach, Germany), 100 U / ml penicillin / 100 μg / ml streptomycin (Cambrex, Cologne, Germany), 1 mM sodium pyruvate (CC Pro, Oberdorla, Germany), 20 μg / ml gentamicin (Cambrex) until use. 2.5 ng / ml IL-7 (PromoCell, Heidelberg, Germany) and 10 U / ml IL-2 (Novartis Pharma, Nurnberg, Germany) were also added to the TCM at this stage.

[0386] Generation of pMHC / anti-CD28 coated beads, T cell stimulation, and readout were performed in a highly defined in vitro system using four different pMHC molecules per stimulation condition and eight different pMHC molecules per readout condition.

[0387] Purified costimulatory mouse IgG2a anti-human CD28 Ab9.3 (Jung et al., 1987) was chemically biotinylated using sulfo-N-hydroxysuccinimide biotin as recommended by the manufacturer (Perbio, Bonn, Germany). The beads used were streptavidin-coated polystyrene particles with a diameter of 5.6 μm (Bangs Laboratories, Illinois, USA).

[0388] The pMHC used for positive and negative control stimulation were, respectively, A * 0201 / MLA-001 (peptide ELAGIGILTV (SEQ ID NO: 60) derived from modified Melan-A / MART-1) and A * 0201 / DDX5-001 (YLLPAIVHI derived from DDX5, SEQ ID NO: 61).

[0389] 800,000 beads / 200 μl were coated in a 96-well plate in the presence of 4×12.5 ng of different biotin pMHC, washed, and subsequently added 600 ng of biotin anti-CD28 in a volume of 200 μl. 1×10 6 2 × 10 CD8+ T cells 5 Stimulation was initiated in 96-well plates by co-incubation with 10 ... Evaluation of multimer analysis was performed using FlowJo software (Tree Star, Oregon, USA). Ex vivo priming of specific multimer+ CD8+ lymphocytes was detected by comparison with negative control stimulation. Immunogenicity of a given antigen was detected if at least one evaluable ex vivo stimulation well of one healthy donor was found to contain a specific CD8+ T cell line after ex vivo stimulation (i.e., this well contained at least 1% specific multimer+ in CD8+ T cells and the percentage of specific multimer+ cells was at least 10 times the median of the negative control stimulation).

[0390] In vitro immunogenicity of prostate cancer peptides To test HLA class I peptides, in vitro immunogenicity could be demonstrated by generating peptide-specific T cell lines. Exemplary flow cytometry results after TUMAP-specific multimer staining of two peptides of the invention are shown in FIG. 3 along with the corresponding negative control. Results of five peptides from the invention are summarized in Table 15A. Further results of six peptides from the invention are summarized in Table 15B.

[0391] Table 15A: In vitro immunogenicity of HLA class I peptides of the invention Exemplary results of in vitro immunogenicity experiments of the peptides of the invention carried out by the Applicant: <20% = +; 20%- 49% = ++; 50% - 69% = +++; >= 70% = ++++ [Table 15A]

[0392] Table 15B: In vitro immunogenicity of HLA class I peptides of the invention Exemplary results of in vitro immunogenicity experiments of the peptides of the invention carried out by the Applicant: <20% = +; 20%- 49% = ++; 50% - 69% = +++; >= 70% = ++++ [Table 15B]

[0393] Example 4 Peptide synthesis All peptides were synthesized using standard, well-established solid-phase peptide synthesis using the Fmoc strategy. Identity and purity of individual peptides were determined by mass spectrometry and analytical RP-HPLC. Peptides were obtained as white to off-white lyophilizates (trifluoroacetate salts) with purity >50%. All TUMAPs are preferably administered as trifluoroacetate or acetate salts, although other salt forms are also possible.

[0394] Example 5 MHC binding assay Candidate peptides for T cell-based therapy according to the present invention were further tested for their MHC binding capacity (affinity). Individual peptide-MHC complexes were generated by UV-ligand exchange, and the UV-sensitive peptides were cleaved upon UV irradiation and exchanged with the peptide of interest to be analyzed. Only peptide candidates that can effectively bind and stabilize peptide-receptive MHC molecules prevent the dissociation of the MHC complex. To determine the yield of the exchange reaction, an ELISA based on the detection of the light chain (β2m) of the stabilized MHC complex was performed. The assay was performed as generally described in Rodenko et al. (Rodenko et al., 2006).

[0395] 96-well MAXISorp plates (NUNC) were coated with 2 μg / ml streptavidin in PBS overnight at room temperature, washed four times, and blocked in 2% BSA containing blocking buffer for 1 hour at 37° C. Refolded HLA-A * 020102:01 / MLA-001 monomer served as a standard covering the range of 15-500ng / ml. Peptide-MHC monomers for UV exchange reactions were diluted 100-fold in block buffer. Samples were incubated for 1 hour at 37°C, washed 4 times, incubated with 2ug / ml HRP-conjugated anti-β2m for 1 hour at 37°C, washed again, and detected with TMB solution stopped with NH2SO4. Absorption was measured at 450nm. For the generation and manufacture of antibodies or their fragments, and / or T-cell receptors or their fragments, candidate peptides exhibiting high exchange yields (preferably higher than 50%, most preferably higher than 75%) are generally preferred, as they exhibit sufficient binding activity to MHC molecules to prevent dissociation of the MHC complex.

[0396] Table 16A: MHC Class I Binding Score HLA class I-restricted peptides and HLA-A *Conjugation with 24 was assessed by peptide exchange yield: >10% = +; >20% = ++; >50 = +++; >75% = ++++ [Table 16A]

[0397] Table 16B: MHC Class I Binding Score HLA class I-restricted peptides and HLA-A * Conjugation with 02 was assessed by peptide exchange yield: >10% = +; >20% = ++; >50 = +++; > 75% = ++++ [Table 16B]

[0398] Example 6 Absolute quantification of tumor-associated peptides displayed on the cell surface The generation of binders such as antibodies and / or TCRs is a laborious process and may only be performed for a few selected targets. For tumor-associated and specific peptides, the selection criteria include, but are not limited to, the exclusivity of presentation and the density of peptides presented on the cell surface. In addition to the isolation and relative quantification of peptides as described herein, the inventors analyzed the absolute peptide copy number per cell as described. Quantification of TUMAP copies per cell in solid tumor samples requires absolute quantification of isolated TUMAPs, the efficiency of TUMAP isolation, and cell counting of the tissue sample to be analyzed.

[0399] Peptide quantification by nanoLC-MS / MS For accurate quantification of peptides by mass spectrometry, a calibration curve was created for each peptide using an internal standard method. The internal standard was a double-isotopically labeled variant of each peptide, i.e., two isotopically labeled amino acids were included in the TUMAP synthesis. It differs from tumor-associated peptides only by its mass, but does not show differences in other physicochemical properties (Anderson et al., 2012). The internal standard was added to each MS sample to normalize all MS signals to that of the internal standard and to level out potential technical variations between MS experiments.

[0400] Calibration curves were generated in at least three different matrices, i.e., in HLA peptide eluates from natural samples as well as routine MS samples, and each preparation was measured in duplicate MS experiments. For evaluation, the MS signals were normalized to the signals of the internal standards and the calibration curves were calculated by logistic regression.

[0401] For quantification of tumor-associated peptides from tissue samples, an internal standard was also added to each sample, and the MS signal was normalized to the internal standard and quantified using a peptide calibration curve.

[0402] Efficiency of peptide / MHC isolation As with any protein purification process, the isolation of proteins from tissue samples involves some loss of the protein of interest. To determine the efficiency of TUMAP isolation, peptide / MHC complexes were generated for all TUMAPs selected for absolute quantification. To be able to distinguish the added ones from the native peptide / MHC complexes, single isotope-labeled versions of TUMAPs were used, i.e., one isotope-labeled amino acid was included in the TUMAP synthesis. These complexes were added to freshly prepared tissue lysates, i.e., as early as possible in the TUMAP isolation procedure, and then captured like the native peptide / MHC complexes in the following affinity purification. Measuring the recovery of the single-labeled TUMAPs therefore allows conclusions regarding the isolation efficiency of the individual native TUMAPs.

[0403] Isolation efficiency was analyzed in a small number of samples and was comparable between these tissue samples. In contrast, isolation efficiency differs between individual peptides. This suggests that isolation efficiency is determined only in a limited number of tissue samples, but may be extrapolated to any other tissue specimen. However, each TUMAP needs to be analyzed individually, as isolation efficiency may not be extrapolated from one peptide to another.

[0404] Cell counting in solid frozen tissue To measure the cell number of tissue samples subjected to absolute peptide quantification, we applied DNA content analysis. This method is applicable to a wide range of samples of different origins, most importantly, frozen samples (Alcoser et al., 2011; Forsey and Chaudhuri, 2009; Silva et al., 2013). During the peptide isolation protocol, tissue samples are processed into a homogenous lysate from which a small lysate aliquot is removed. The aliquot is divided into three and DNA is isolated from it (QiaAmp DNA Mini Kit, Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). A fluorescence-based DNA quantification assay (Qubit dsDNA HS Assay Kit, Life Technologies, Darmstadt, Germany) is used to quantify the total DNA content from each DNA isolation in at least two replicates.

[0405] To calculate cell number, a DNA standard curve was generated from aliquots of single healthy blood cells with a series of defined cell numbers. The standard curve is used to calculate the total cell content from the total DNA content from each DNA isolation. Given the known volumes of the lysate aliquots and the total lysate volume, the average total cell number of the tissue samples used for peptide isolation is extrapolated.

[0406] Peptide copy number per cell Using the data from the previous experiments, we calculated the TUMAP copy number per cell by dividing the total peptide amount in the sample by the total cell number and then by the isolation efficiency. The cellular copy numbers of selected peptides are shown in Table 17.

[0407] Table 17: Absolute copy numbers. The table lists the results of absolute peptide quantification in tumor samples. The median copy number per cell is shown for each peptide: <100 = +; >=100 = ++; >=1,000 +++; >=10,000 = ++++. The number of samples for which evaluable high-quality MS data was available is shown. [Table 17]

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[0409] The present invention includes the following aspects: 1. A peptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48, and variant sequences thereof that are at least 88% homologous to SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48, and pharma- ceutically acceptable salts thereof; wherein said variants bind to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules and / or cause T cells to cross-react with said variant peptides; and wherein said peptides are not full-length polypeptides. 2. The peptide according to item 1, which has the ability to bind to an MHC class I or II molecule and, upon binding to said MHC, becomes capable of being recognized by CD4 and / or CD8 T cells. 3. The peptide or variant thereof according to item 1 or 2, the amino acid sequence of which comprises a stretch of amino acids set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1 to 48. 4. The peptide or variant thereof according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the peptide or variant thereof has a total length of 8 to 100, preferably 8 to 30, more preferably 8 to 16 amino acids, and most preferably the peptide consists of or essentially consists of an amino acid sequence set forth in any of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 48. 5. The peptide or variant thereof according to any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the peptide is modified and / or comprises a non-peptide bond. 6. The peptide or variant thereof according to any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the peptide is part of a fusion protein comprising in particular the N-terminal amino acids of the HLA-DR antigen-associated invariant chain (Ii). 7. A nucleic acid encoding the peptide or a variant thereof according to any one of items 1 to 6, optionally linked to a heterologous promoter sequence. 8. An expression vector capable of expressing the nucleic acid according to item 7. 9. A recombinant host cell comprising the peptide according to any one of items 1 to 6, the nucleic acid according to item 7 or the expression vector according to item 8, which is preferably an antigen-presenting cell such as a dendritic cell. 10. A peptide or variant thereof according to any one of items 1 to 6, a nucleic acid according to item 7, an expression vector according to item 8, or a host cell according to item 9 for use in medicine. 11. A method for producing the peptide or variant thereof according to any one of items 1 to 6, comprising the steps of culturing a host cell according to item 9, which presents the peptide according to any one of items 1 to 6, or which expresses the nucleic acid according to item 7, or which has the expression vector according to item 8, and isolating the peptide or variant thereof from the host cell or a culture medium thereof. 12. An in vitro method for producing activated T lymphocytes comprising ex vivo contacting of T cells with antigen-loaded human class I or II MHC molecules expressed on the surface of a suitable antigen-presenting cell or on the surface of an artificial construct mimicking an antigen-presenting cell for a time sufficient to activate said T cells in an antigen-specific manner, wherein said antigen is a peptide according to any one of items 1 to 4. 13. An activated T lymphocyte produced by the method according to item 12, which selectively recognizes a cell presenting a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence according to any one of items 1 to 4. 14. A method for killing target cells in a patient, the target cells presenting a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence according to any one of items 1 to 4, comprising the step of administering to the patient an effective number of activated T cells as defined in item 13. 15. An antibody, in particular a soluble or membrane-bound antibody, which, when bound to an MHC molecule, specifically recognizes a peptide or a variant thereof according to any one of items 1 to 5, which is preferably a peptide or a variant thereof according to any one of items 1 to 5. 16. Use of the peptide according to any one of items 1 to 6, the nucleic acid according to item 7, the expression vector according to item 8, the cell according to item 9, the activated T lymphocyte according to item 13 or the antibody according to item 15 for use in the diagnosis and / or treatment of cancer or for use in the manufacture of a medicament against cancer. 17. The use according to item 16, wherein the cancer is selected from the group of prostate cancer, bladder cancer, brain cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, esophageal cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer (NSCLC, SCLC), ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer, gallbladder cancer, bile duct cancer, melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, leukemia (AML, CLL) and other tumors exhibiting overexpression of proteins derived from peptides SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48. 18. (a) a container comprising a pharmaceutical composition in solution or lyophilized form, the pharmaceutical composition comprising the peptide variant according to any one of items 1 to 6, the nucleic acid according to item 7, the expression vector according to item 8, the cell according to item 10, the activated T lymphocyte according to item 13, or the antibody according to item 15; (b) optionally, a second container containing a diluent or reconstitution solution for the lyophilized formulation; (c) optionally, at least one more peptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:59, and (d) Optionally, a kit comprising instructions for (i) use of the solution, or (ii) reconstitution and / or use of the lyophilized formulation. 19. 20. The kit of item 18, further comprising one or more of: (iii) a buffer, (iv) a diluent, (v) a filter, (vi) a needle, or (v) a syringe. 20. The kit according to item 18 or 19, wherein the peptide is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 48. twenty one. a) identifying tumor associated peptides (TUMAPs) presented by tumor samples from said individual patients; b) comparing said peptides identified in a) to a pool of peptides prescreened for immunogenicity and / or over-presentation in tumors compared to normal tissues; c) selecting at least one peptide from said reservoir that matches a TUMAP identified in said patient; d) producing and / or formulating the personalized vaccine or compound-based and / or cell therapy based on step c). twenty two. The TUMAP is a1) comparing expression data from the tumor sample with expression data from a normal tissue sample corresponding to the tissue type of the tumor sample to identify proteins that are overexpressed or aberrantly expressed in the tumor sample; a2) correlating the expression data with sequences of MHC ligands bound to MHC class I and / or class II molecules in the tumor sample to identify MHC ligands derived from proteins that are overexpressed or aberrantly expressed by the tumor. twenty three. 23. The method according to claim 21 or 22, wherein the sequence of the MHC ligand is identified by eluting bound peptides from the MHC molecules isolated from the tumor sample and sequencing the eluted ligand. twenty four. 24. The method according to any one of items 21 to 23, wherein the normal tissue corresponding to the tissue type of the tumor sample is obtained from the same patient. twenty five. The peptide contained in the reservoir is aa. performing genome-wide messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression analysis by highly parallel methods such as microarray or sequencing-based expression profiling, comprising identifying genes that are overexpressed in malignant tissue compared to normal tissue or tissue groups; ab. selecting a peptide encoded by the selectively expressed or overexpressed gene detected in step aa; ac. determining the induction of an in vivo T cell response by the selected peptides comprising an in vitro immunogenicity assay using human T cells from healthy donors or the patient; or b. identifying HLA ligands from said tumor sample using mass spectrometry; bb. performing genome-wide messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression analysis by highly parallel methods such as microarray or sequencing-based expression profiling, comprising identifying genes that are overexpressed in malignant tissue compared to normal tissue or tissue groups; bc. comparing said identified HLA ligands to said gene expression data; bd. selecting a peptide encoded by the selectively expressed or overexpressed gene detected in step bc; be. re-detecting the TUMAPs selected from step bd in tumor tissues, whereby lack of detection or rare detection in healthy tissues supports the association of overexpression at the mRNA level; bf. Determining the induction of an in vivo T cell response by the selected peptides, comprising an in vitro immunogenicity assay using human T cells from healthy donors or the patient; 25. The method according to any one of items 21 to 24, wherein the genotype is identified based on: 26. The method according to any one of items 21 to 25, wherein the immunogenicity of the peptides contained in the reservoir is determined by a method comprising in vitro immunogenicity assays, patient immune monitoring for individual HLA binding, MHC multimer staining, ELISPOT assays and / or intracellular cytokine staining. 27. The method according to any one of items 21 to 26, wherein the reservoir comprises a plurality of peptides selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:59. 28. The method according to any one of items 21 to 27, further comprising identifying at least one mutation specific to the tumor sample compared to normal corresponding tissue from the individual patient, and selecting a peptide associated with said mutation for inclusion in the vaccine or for creating a cell therapy. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein the at least one mutation is identified by whole genome sequencing. 30. A T cell receptor, preferably a soluble or membrane-bound T cell receptor, reactive with an HLA ligand, said ligand having at least 75% identity to an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48. 31. The T cell receptor according to item 30, wherein the amino acid sequence is at least 88% identical to SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 48. 32. The T cell receptor according to item 30 or 31, wherein the amino acid sequence consists of any one of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 59. 33. The T cell receptor according to any one of items 30 to 32, wherein the T cell receptor is provided as a soluble molecule and optionally carries an additional effector function, such as an immunostimulatory domain or a toxin. 34. A nucleic acid encoding a TCR according to any one of items 30 to 33, optionally associated with a heterologous promoter sequence. 35. An expression vector capable of expressing the nucleic acid according to item 34. 36. A host cell, preferably a T cell or a NK cell, comprising a nucleic acid according to item 34, or a nucleic acid encoding the antibody according to item 15, or an expression vector according to item 35. 37. A method for producing a T cell receptor according to any one of items 30 to 33, comprising the steps of culturing the host cell according to item 36 and isolating the T cell receptor from the host cell and / or its culture medium. 38. a) a peptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48; b) T cell receptors reactive with the peptides and / or peptide-MHC complexes described in a); c) a fusion protein comprising the peptide according to a) and amino acids 1 to 80 of the N-terminus of the HLA-DR antigen-associated invariant chain (Ii); d) a nucleic acid encoding any one of a) to c), or an expression vector comprising said nucleic acid; e) a host cell comprising the expression vector of d); f) activated T lymphocytes obtained by a method comprising the step of contacting T cells ex vivo with a peptide according to a) expressed on the surface of suitable antigen-presenting cells for a time sufficient to activate the T cells in an antigen-specific manner, and transferring these activated T cells into the self or into another patient; g) antibodies, or soluble T cell receptors, reactive with the peptides and / or peptide-MHC complexes and / or cells presenting the peptides according to a), potentially modified, for example by fusion with immune activating domains or toxins; h) an aptamer that recognizes a peptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48 and / or a complex of a peptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48 and an MHC molecule; i) A bound or labeled peptide or scaffold according to any one of a) to h). A pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one active ingredient selected from the group consisting of: a pharma- ceutically acceptable carrier, and, optionally, pharma- ceutically acceptable excipients and / or stabilizers. 39. 6. An aptamer that specifically recognizes the peptide or variant thereof according to any one of items 1 to 5, preferably the peptide or variant thereof according to any one of items 1 to 5 bound to an MHC molecule.

Claims

1. A peptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48, and variants thereof that are at least 88% homologous to SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48, and pharma- ceutically acceptable salts thereof; wherein said variants bind to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules and / or cause T cells to cross-react with said variant peptide; and wherein said peptide is not a full-length polypeptide.

2. 2. The peptide of claim 1, which has the ability to bind to an MHC class I or II molecule, and upon binding to said MHC, becomes capable of being recognized by CD4 and / or CD8 T cells.

3. A peptide or variant thereof according to claim 1 or 2, the amino acid sequence of which comprises a stretch of amino acids set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1 to 48.

4. 4. The peptide or variant thereof according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the peptide or variant thereof has an overall length of 8 to 100, preferably 8 to 30, more preferably 8 to 16 amino acids, and most preferably the peptide consists or essentially consists of an amino acid sequence as set forth in any of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO:

48.

5. A peptide or variant thereof according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the peptide is modified and / or comprises a non-peptide bond.

6. The peptide or variant thereof according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said peptide is part of a fusion protein comprising in particular the N-terminal amino acids of the HLA-DR antigen-associated invariant chain (Ii).

7. A nucleic acid encoding the peptide or variant thereof according to any one of claims 1 to 6, optionally associated with a heterologous promoter sequence.

8. An expression vector capable of expressing the nucleic acid of claim 7.

9. A recombinant host cell comprising a peptide according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a nucleic acid according to claim 7 or an expression vector according to claim 8, which is preferably an antigen-presenting cell such as a dendritic cell.

10. A peptide or variant thereof according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a nucleic acid according to claim 7, an expression vector according to claim 8, or a host cell according to claim 9 for use in medicine.

11. A method for producing the peptide or variant thereof according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising the steps of culturing a host cell according to claim 9, which presents the peptide according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or expresses the nucleic acid according to claim 7, or has the expression vector according to claim 8, and isolating the peptide or variant thereof from the host cell or a culture medium thereof.

12. 5. An in vitro method of producing activated T lymphocytes comprising ex vivo contacting T cells with antigen-loaded human class I or II MHC molecules expressed on the surface of a suitable antigen-presenting cell or on the surface of an artificial construct that mimics an antigen-presenting cell for a time sufficient to activate said T cells in an antigen-specific manner, said antigen being a peptide according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

13. 13. An activated T lymphocyte produced by the method of claim 12, which selectively recognizes a cell presenting a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of any one of claims 1 to 4.

14. A method of killing target cells in a patient, the target cells presenting a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising the step of administering to the patient an effective number of activated T cells as defined in claim 13.

15. An antibody, in particular a soluble or membrane-bound antibody, which specifically recognizes a peptide or a variant thereof according to any one of claims 1 to 5, preferably a peptide or a variant thereof according to any one of claims 1 to 5, when bound to an MHC molecule.

16. Use of a peptide according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a nucleic acid according to claim 7, an expression vector according to claim 8, a cell according to claim 9, an activated T lymphocyte according to claim 13 or an antibody according to claim 15 for use in the diagnosis and / or treatment of cancer or for use in the manufacture of a medicament against cancer.

17. 17. The use according to claim 16, wherein the cancer is selected from the group of prostate cancer, bladder cancer, brain cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, esophageal cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer (NSCLC, SCLC), ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer, gallbladder cancer, bile duct cancer, melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, leukemia (AML, CLL) and other tumors which show overexpression of the proteins from which peptides SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48 are derived.

18. (a) a container comprising a pharmaceutical composition in solution or lyophilized form, the pharmaceutical composition comprising the peptide variant according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the nucleic acid according to claim 7, the expression vector according to claim 8, the cell according to claim 10, the activated T lymphocyte according to claim 13, or the antibody according to claim 15; (b) optionally, a second container containing a diluent or reconstitution solution for the lyophilized formulation; (c) optionally, at least one more peptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:59, and (d) Optionally, a kit comprising instructions for (i) use of said solution, or (ii) reconstitution and / or use of said lyophilized formulation.

19. 20. The kit of claim 18, further comprising one or more of: (iii) a buffer; (iv) a diluent; (v) a filter; (vi) a needle; or (v) a syringe.

20. The kit according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the peptide is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO:

48.

21. a) identifying tumor associated peptides (TUMAPs) presented by tumor samples from said individual patients; b) comparing said peptides identified in a) to a pool of peptides prescreened for immunogenicity and / or over-presentation in tumors compared to normal tissues; c) selecting at least one peptide from said reservoir that matches a TUMAP identified in said patient; and d) producing and / or formulating the personalized vaccine or compound-based and / or cell therapy based on step c).

22. The TUMAP is a1) comparing expression data from the tumor sample with expression data from a normal tissue sample corresponding to the tissue type of the tumor sample to identify proteins that are overexpressed or aberrantly expressed in the tumor sample; a2) correlating the expression data with sequences of MHC ligands bound to MHC class I / or class II molecules in the tumor sample to identify MHC ligands derived from proteins that are overexpressed or aberrantly expressed by the tumor.

23. 23. The method of claim 21 or 22, wherein the sequence of the MHC ligand is identified by eluting bound peptides from the MHC molecules isolated from the tumor sample and sequencing the eluted ligands.

24. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the normal tissue corresponding to the tissue type of the tumor sample is obtained from the same patient.

25. The peptide contained in the reservoir is aa. performing genome-wide messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression analysis by highly parallel methods such as microarray or sequencing-based expression profiling, comprising identifying genes that are overexpressed in malignant tissues compared to normal tissues or tissue groups; ab. selecting peptides encoded by the selectively expressed or overexpressed genes detected in step aa; ac. determining the induction of an in vivo T cell response by the selected peptides, comprising an in vitro immunogenicity assay using human T cells from healthy donors or the patient; or b. Identifying HLA ligands from the tumor sample using mass spectrometry; bb. performing genome-wide messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression analysis by highly parallel methods such as microarray or sequencing-based expression profiling, comprising identifying genes that are overexpressed in malignant tissue compared to normal tissue or tissue groups; bc. comparing the identified HLA ligands to the gene expression data; bd. selecting peptides encoded by the selectively expressed or overexpressed genes detected in step bc; be. Redetecting the TUMAPs selected from step bd in tumor tissue, where lack of detection or rare detection in healthy tissue supports the association of overexpression at the mRNA level; bf. Determining the induction of an in vivo T cell response by the selected peptides, comprising an in vitro immunogenicity assay using human T cells from healthy donors or the patient; The method according to any one of claims 21 to 24, wherein the marker is identified based on

26. 26. The method of any one of claims 21 to 25, wherein the immunogenicity of the peptides contained in the reservoir is determined by a method comprising in vitro immunogenicity assays, patient immune monitoring for individual HLA binding, MHC multimer staining, ELISPOT assays and / or intracellular cytokine staining.

27. 27. The method of any one of claims 21 to 26, wherein the reservoir comprises a plurality of peptides selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:

59.

28. The method of any one of claims 21 to 27, further comprising the steps of identifying at least one mutation specific to said tumor sample in comparison to normal corresponding tissue from said individual patient, and selecting a peptide associated with said mutation for inclusion in said vaccine or for creating a cell therapy.

29. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein the at least one mutation is identified by whole genome sequencing.

30. A T cell receptor, preferably a soluble or membrane-bound T cell receptor, reactive with an HLA ligand, said ligand having at least 75% identity to an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:

48.

31. The T cell receptor of claim 30, wherein the amino acid sequence is at least 88% identical to SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:

48.

32. The T cell receptor according to claim 30 or 31, wherein the amino acid sequence consists of any one of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO:

59.

33. The T cell receptor of any one of claims 30 to 32, wherein the T cell receptor is provided as a soluble molecule, optionally carrying an additional effector function, such as an immunostimulatory domain or a toxin.

34. A nucleic acid encoding a TCR according to any one of claims 30 to 33, optionally associated with a heterologous promoter sequence.

35. An expression vector capable of expressing the nucleic acid of claim 34.

36. A host cell, preferably a T cell or a NK cell, comprising a nucleic acid according to claim 34, or a nucleic acid encoding an antibody according to claim 15, or an expression vector according to claim 35.

37. A method for producing a T cell receptor according to any one of claims 30 to 33, comprising the steps of culturing a host cell according to claim 36 and isolating said T cell receptor from said host cell and / or its culture medium.

38. a) a peptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48; b) T cell receptors reactive with the peptides and / or peptide-MHC complexes described in a); c) a fusion protein comprising the peptide according to a) and amino acids 1 to 80 of the N-terminus of the HLA-DR antigen-associated invariant chain (Ii); d) a nucleic acid encoding any one of a) to c), or an expression vector comprising said nucleic acid; e) a host cell comprising the expression vector of d); f) activated T lymphocytes obtained by a method comprising the step of contacting T cells ex vivo with a peptide according to a) expressed on the surface of suitable antigen-presenting cells for a time sufficient to activate the T cells in an antigen-specific manner, and transferring these activated T cells into the self or into another patient; g) antibodies, or soluble T-cell receptors, reactive with the peptides according to a) and / or peptide-MHC complexes and / or cells presenting the peptides according to a), potentially modified, for example, by fusion with immune activating domains or toxins; h) an aptamer that recognizes a peptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48 and / or recognizes a complex of a peptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 to SEQ ID NO:48 and an MHC molecule; i) A bound or labeled peptide or scaffold according to any one of a) to h). A pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one active ingredient selected from the group consisting of: a pharma- ceutically acceptable carrier, and, optionally, pharma- ceutically acceptable excipients and / or stabilizers.

39. An aptamer which specifically recognizes the peptide or variant thereof according to any one of claims 1 to 5, preferably the peptide or variant thereof according to any one of claims 1 to 5 bound to an MHC molecule.

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